Name: Tasha
Age: 14
Sex: Female
Location: England, UK
Age when you first self-injured: 14
How long have you been self-injuring (months, years): About a year

What are/were some of your triggers (i.e. fights with parents, school work, getting dumped, etc.)?
School stress, fights with family, self-hate and low confidence and that whole bundle of dookie, and I don't think I really feel comfortable around my friends because I don't feel like I fit in and that really bugs me, stress and worry in general, depression I guess, exams, perfectionism.

What did you know about self-injury before you started? How?
I actually don't think I knew anything about it. I think I had one friend who I knew had cut herself a couple of times before but that was like it.

What made you start self-injuring? (the specific incident or trigger if you can remember)
I think it was just one bad day, typical bad day, and I just felt bad, and I think there must have been another family fight

Why do/did you self-injure? How does/did it make you feel better?
I cut with nail scissors, so they're always pretty small cuts. It just...it feels like such a big relief and a massive release, like all this stuff that's been pushing down on me and building up in me is just...gone. And it feels so peaceful and my mind just shuts up and I can be calm and rational and sometimes it helps me sleep. It just helps me to let everything go and feel new and refreshed.

How do/did you feel before, during, and after the self-injury?
Before I feel really tense or angry or just like I can't cope. During it's just a matter of waiting because I know when I'm doing it that it's gonna feel better soon so I just have to be patient. And after I'm so calm and controlled and peaceful, and I feel like I can deal again.

Have there been any health scares that resulted from your self-injury (emergency room visits, etc.)? Did you continue to self-injure despite this?
Never had anything bad happen because of self harm.

If you've been to a psychiatric hospital could you describe your experience? Did it help you? Why or why not?
Haven't been.

If you still self-injure do you think you will ever stop? Do you want to stop? Why can't/won't you stop?
I don't think I'll ever completely stop. I think there'll still always be times when I'll just want to do it so badly and I just will. I sort of do want to stop but I don't really care, because the cuts are so small and I really can't believe that I'm actually putting myself in any danger, and I know how stupid that sounds. It's a really selfish thing, to want to keep doing something because it makes me feel good. But it's not hurting anyone else, no one knows I haven't stopped yet, so it's just my own personal private feel-good.

If you don't self-injure anymore why did you stop? How did you stop? How hard is it to refrain from doing this?
The times I have stopped, it was due to my friends who were there for me through all of it. If I wanted to vent, they were there. If I needed distractions, they'd talk to me for hours. I could text or IM them anytime, and they'd always try to help me. I stopped for them, because I didn't like worrying them and I couldn't keep doing that to them. It's so hard to stop, there are the urges and you crave it so badly, and sometimes you just do it, and once you've slipped up once it's even harder to stay away.

Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders? If so, which ones (OCD, Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, etc.)?
Nope.