Why cutting feels good

Endorphins are the "feel-good" hormones released during intense physical exertion. And they can be released during an injury. Others believe the relief is simply a result of being distracted from painful emotions by intense physical pain and the dramatic sight of blood. Some teens say they don't feel the pain when they cut, but feel relieved because the visible SI "shows" emotional pain they feel.

Feeling "addicted. Though it only provides temporary relief from emotional distress, the more a person cuts, the more he or she feels the need to do it. As with other compulsive behaviors, the brain starts to connect a momentary sense of relief from bad feelings with the act of cutting.

Whenever the tension builds, the brain craves that relief and drives the teen to seek relief again by cutting. So cutting can become a habit someone feels powerless to stop.

The urge to cut — to get relief — can seem too hard to resist when emotional pressure is high. Other mental health conditions. Cutting is often linked to — or part of — another mental health condition.

Some teens who cut are also struggling with other urges, obsessions, or compulsive behaviors. For some, depression or bipolar disorder can contribute to overwhelming moods that might be difficult for a teen to regulate. For others, mental health conditions that affect personality can cause relationships to feel intense and consuming, but unsteady.

For these teens, intense positive attachments can suddenly become terribly disappointing and leave them feeling hurt, anger, or despair too strong to cope with. Other teens struggle with personality traits that attract them to the dangerous excitement of risky behavior or self-destructive acts.

Some are prone to dramatic ways of getting reassurance that they are loved and cared about. For others, posttraumatic stress has had an effect on their ability to cope.

Or they're struggling with alcohol or substance problems. Peer pressure. Some teens are influenced to start cutting by another person who does it. For example, a teen girl might try cutting because her boyfriend cuts. Group peer pressure can play a role too. Some teens cut in groups and might pressure others to cut.

A teen might give in to group pressure to try cutting as a way to seem cool or bold, to belong, or to avoid social bullying.

Any of these factors may help to explain why a particular teen cuts. But each teen also has unique feelings and experiences that play a role. Some who cut might not be able to explain why they do it. Regardless of the factors that may lead a teen to self-injure, cutting isn't a healthy way to deal with even the most extreme emotions or pressures. Some teens call attention to their self-injury.

Or if the SI requires medical attention, that might be a way others find out. But many teens cut for a long time before anyone else knows. Some teens eventually tell someone about their self-injury — because they want help and want to stop, or because they just want someone to understand what they're going through. It can take courage and trust to reach out. This is where therapy can be beneficial and help people working through personal issues to determine what cutting means to them.

In the event of an emergency, your local hospital may require an evaluation at a psychiatric emergency room to ensure your safety. Jennifer Chesak is a Nashville-based freelance book editor and writing instructor. Vaginal rejuvenation is an umbrella term for surgical and nonsurgical techniques on the vagina, vulva, clitoris, and pubic mound.

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Here's a guide to identifying potential commitment issues and overcoming them. Alexithymia is a difficulty recognizing emotions, and is sometimes seen along with depression, autism, or brain injury, among other conditions. When you stand, you burn anywhere from to calories an hour. It all depends on your sex, age, height, and weight.

Sitting, by comparison, only…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph. Causes Is there a pattern? Is it an addiction? But for some people, writes Arnold, an odd connection in human brains means that bodily injury provides a sort of temporary relief from emotional turmoil:.

Pain relievers also act on these two areas, regardless of whether someone is experiencing emotional or physical pain. A study in Psychological Science revealed that the pain relievers such as Tylenol or paracetamol acetaminophen helped to relieve the distress associated with social rejection and also decreased activity in the anterior insula and the anterior cingulate cortex.

The physical pain lessens — as does the emotional pain. That doesn't mean self-harm is a healthy way to combat emotional distress. It's often used by those who've suffered trauma or been the victim of bullying or other personal attacks, and the UK's National Health Service recommends people see a therapist to help them learn to understand and cope with the underlying distress.