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Self Injury

I'm not sure there's any delicate or polite way to discuss this so I'm not going to bother beating around the bush. There are people in this world who, for whatever reason, feel a need to hurt themselves, usually by cutting. Chances are you'd never know it by looking at me, but I am one of these people. We are not insane or psycho or twisted or mental. We are not retarded, or sado-masochists, and we are no more likely to be violent or aggressive than anyone else. We are mostly young women (although not exclusively), often from abusive situations (but not always), and we are getting more and more frustrated by the intolerance and hostility and fear that we receive because of this disorder. We are tired of hiding under long sleeves and lies. We are people and we have problems. Either help us or get out of the way. Hopefully the information provided here will give you a better understanding of the kind of help that we need.

In these writings, cutting, self injury and self harm all refer to the same disorder. The terms "self mutilation" and "delicate cutting" are also often used by other authors, but for various reasons, I find those terms offensive.

What is...? - definitions and classifications of self injury.
Why do...? - reasons for and explanations of self injury.
How can I...? - tips and tricks for avoiding self injury.
What can they...? - the do's and dont's of self injury.

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"We are tired of hiding under long sleeves and lies. We are people and we have problems. Either help us or get out of the way."