Definition of self injury

Any mark caused by YOURSELF on YOUR body anywhere that lasts over two hours is classed as self harm. Snapping a rubber band on your wrist to cause a welt is not a prevention or 'better' than cutting, it is just another form of SI. Ice burns lasting more than two hours are also classified as self harm. These 'quick fix' methods for 'prevention' against SI are not breaking the vicious cycle but contributing. People that are habitual SI's should seek professional help.

First, Snapping a rubber band on your wrist is a training method used by many people..teachers, athletic coaches, etc. It is used when people don't believe in themselves, they snap it and tell themselves to do better. The mark it makes DOES NOT last for 2 or more hours.

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The mark it makes is a white line that disappears instantly. When we advise cutters to snap a rubber band, we don't mean lift it high and snap as far away as it can stretch.

The ice cube thing that many are advising cutters to do, it doesn't leave a mark UNLESS you use salt with it. It is NOT self harm, it is a training method that even my therapist told me to do. Although, it could be defined as self harm if the mark lasts more than a few minutes, but in almost all cases, it does not.

Yes, they should seek professional help but it takes more than a few words to break the vicious cycle. It takes other methods to break into is well.

And life is nothing,

That was very uncalled for. People that are looking for help want HELP, yes help takes attention but how is it so annoying? People that whine but seek no help is more annoying actually.

Ok, i'm a cutter...a pretty bad one at that and after 56 years of doing i decided to get help. snapping rubber bands and holding ice...they're all forms of helping to stop SI...and this comes from doctors. snapping a rubber band is better then slicing yourself open with a knife, holding ice is better than slitting a vain. these methods aren't suppose to be permanent, your suppose to do them for a period of time and then stop.

When I was self-harming I didn't like using the rubber band and I JUST found out now about holding the ice cube thingy where was I!? geez! lol when I used the rubber band it didn't leave any marks what so ever.

56 YEARS???? wow...thats a long time!!!

yeah...the rubber band is way better than cutting but still some ppl don't wanna do it...and some times if u do it hard enough it will leave a welt....but we don't want ppl doing it that hard!