Sometimes depressed feelings just well up inside you, making your life an unbearable stress. This stress may become so bad that you feel that the only way you can let people notice it is by doing something very definite - like trying to hurt yourself. Although you don't have to have a reason, problems at home or at school, or with friends are usually the cause.

One sort of self-harm which is most common in is 'cutting'; where you feel you've got to scratch or cut your arms with scissors, knifes, razor blades or pins. It seems to come out of deep and complicated feelings of anguish, fear and hate for yourself. However, in another way it appears to help people keep going at times when they feel that they wouldn't otherwise be able to cope with life. It almost becomes a ritual to cut yourself when things get really desperate. Cutting also seems to be linked with finding it hard to express yourself in talking to other people. But at the same time it does have the effect of drawing attention to yourself and your frustrated emotional needs.

Once again, the way to get help with this is to try and talk about your feelings about it to someone who is close to you who you trust. 

Other tips are to have a list of alternatives to do when you feel like cutting yourself - ring a friend, do some cooking or go for a walk, a swim, a run - any sort of exercise. All these things can act a distraction and stop the desperate urge to cut.

Cutting is bad news. Even if you feel better momentarily, you're left with scars to regret forever. Even if it's secretive and you do it behind closed doors, people will find out eventually. It's definitely no solution for feeling down.

Please don't be too hard on yourself - everyone has bleak, black days when we feel worthless and the world's against us. We just differ in how we deal with it. However bad things seem, there is an alternative to cutting.