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EATING DISORDERS AND CUTTING

© Heather Mudgett.

The term "Cutting" has become a slang term for self-mutilation. Over the past few years, I've noticed an increasing number of people on the eating disorder bulletin boards & chat rooms who also have a problem with cutting (in addition to their eating disorder).

When cutting, a person may routinely cut themself with a knife (or other sharp object), burn themselves with cigarettes or lighters, or otherwise physically injure themselves. Often, the cuts or burns are in areas not normally visible, which can result in the problem going unnoticed by others. You can learn more about cutting at WOMEN & SELF INJURY and at YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE.

One cutter says "It's a release.. sometimes like drugs. The pain that's achieved through the cutting or whatever... is something to focus on. Yes, it's pain and it hurts, but that's kind of the point. It's something to focus on and pull you away from reality. People who aren't self-mutilators rarely understand why the hell anyone would do this to himself." This particular young woman does not have an eating disorder, but if you were to replace the words "self-mutilators" with "anorexic or bulimic," it sounds an awful lot like things I've heard many a patient say. If you'd like to get a very personal idea of what it's like to be a cutter, read through her pages at CUTTING MY HANDS UP. Her writing is blunt and painfully honest, and gives you a good idea of what it's like to live as a cutter.

Are you a cutter, have you had the urge to cut, or do you know someone who is a cutter? You can post to others in similar situations at the Center of Eatind Disorders DISCUSSION BOARD. Also, you might want to read through WRITTEN IN THE SCARS which lists many helpful things to try when you have the urge to cut. Some of the ideas are rather complicated, and you may want to have a friend or therapist help you with them.

So what have I learned? It seems that many (but by no means, all) of the cutters I've read about have a history of sexual or physical abuse. Perhaps the cutting, like the eating disorder, is yet another way to demonstrate a hatred for their bodies and to further punish themselves... yet another painful symptom of their deep emotional distress and pain.