How can you be sure they cut?
Just cause they brought a razor to school could mean ANYTHING.

People cut because it replaces the emotional pain, with physical pain. They also see it as "letting it out"; And most people think cutting makes it better. If he is depressed he will need your support; Just make sure he is happy, and try and make him comfortable when he's upset.
If you still think that he is cutting and you're not getting anywhere, tell him.

I agree with above.

You just have to be a shoulder to cry on, be someone who listens to him.
Make sure he knows he has got friends like you that will help him no matter what.

You need to show him how cutting hurts not only him but everyone around him, tell him you care and show it, tell him that whenever he wants to cut he should tell you or somebody else and talk about the problem. hope this helps

1 more thing i might sound wierd but hug him or somehing like that let him cry on your shoulder let him realease the pain in any other way . Hope everything goes well

ok here's a thing a friend did to me when i did. (i used to cut)
this may not work, considering you guys aren't too close, and also cuz with us it was boy-girl and with you guys it might be a bit awkward. but he would make me show him my arms, legs, torso every day before school, and if i was cutting he would too, same place, same way, and make me watch. gruesome, kinda disgusting, but effective. i totally understand if you aren't willing to go that far- i was lucky that he cared that much.

make sure he knows the stuff about cutting:
-how it works (it releases endorphins into your bloodstream, cheering you up. also, it is a distraction from other pain.)
-it's addictive (your brain connects happiness to cutting, and then it becomes compulsive, and stopping becomes extremely, extremely hard. that part really bothered me- control issues)
-cuts can get infected, or you could cut deeper than you mean to (most anything that's used to cut: knives, safety pins, razors, etc. will have germs on it. i doubt anybody is going to put disinfectant on something before they cut- i know i definitely didn't, and also if somebody accidentally cuts into an important artery, they COULD die, or at least end up in the hospital)

im sure there's other stuff, but that's all i know.

do you know if he WANTS to stop? because if he does, you're halfway there. if he doesn't, that's the most important thing. try the above, or anything else that you can come up with. depending on the situation, which i don't know well enough to judge.

if he wants to stop and just can't, a few suggestions for stopping:
-physical exertion: jogging, masturbating (yeah, apparently that helps some people a lot) or anything else that gets the heart pumping, because that releases the same endorphins
-listen to music
-talk about it
-write, draw, play an instrument. let it out.

but mostly, just be there.

everything will get better!
look forward~

Stephanie

Add salt to his wounds when he least expects it.

Well cutting is always a toughie. Majority of the time people cut themselves as a cry for help or as a way for dealing wth extreme pain in the physical and emotional sense. ie emotional would relationship based and physical would be being beaten.

As many of the people have mentioned above have your friend talk to someone, any , friends, family, etc. Also have he/she exercise on a consistant basis that helps as someone also mentioned above that things such as excercising releases endorphines (basicly the feel good chemical that is released in your your during certain times). Your friend could also have another mental health problem, cutting majority of the time leads to others so I would have your friend checked up for that. But I found that most people cut due to being abused so I would also look into that aspect.

If he is already going to classes and such just be the friend that he may need to talk to when the times arises.

Good Luck and I hope everything goes well for you & your friend.

If you or your friend ever need anything feel free and contact my. My Virtual Door is always open.

don't add salt to his cuts! that makes them scar...

and yeah. if somebody is cutting, there's always a cause. you can't stop the cutting unless you know about and can do something about the cause, or at least convince them to deal with the problems in another more constructive way.

Hey there,

First of all, I applaud you for wanting to help him. Second of all, cutting releases tension and stress, because the pain is from the razor instead of whatever situation you're in. People cut, because it's a release from their situation at home or with their school, etc. Your friend is probably doing it, because he's going through a tough time in his life right now and he's searching for something to release his pain. The best thing you can do to help is if you stand by him and help him quit. To stop cutting is hard, but it's not impossible. Find him substitutes like using a rubber band and whenever he has an urge to cut, tell him to snap the rubber band on his wrist. Group therapies are good, encourage him to stay in these therapies. Also, talking about his problems are a big help. When I meant that you should stand by him, I meant that you should help him open up about his problems and feelings. If he's bottling up his feelings, then it's going to affect him in the future. Whether or not he's keeping his feelings to himself, be there for him and let him know that you'll be there to listen to his problems whenever he needs somebody to talk to.

Good luck!

Support Leader,
armyforthebroken