How can I help my wife quit cutting?!


Question:

How can I help my wife quit cutting?

My wife was diagnosed with M.D.D. (major depression disorder) 6 years ago. Since then she has been cutting. And lately it's getting worse. She really wants to stop and is seeing a doctor. Also, right now she can't take meds cuz she just found out she was pregnant. How can I help her stop?


Answers:

First of all, congratulations on being pregnant!
It sounds like your wife really does want to stop self-harming but doesn't know what to do. Just so you know, there are several antidepressants that have been approved by women to take while pregnant. She should talk to her doctor about these options.
Other than medication, your wife needs to find alternative coping skills. People, when depressed, tend to only see what they know what works as options. They don't want to try anything else. It is hard and a struggle to find the motivation to do something new as a coping skill. I would suggest visiting the website below. It's got a lot of information on self-injury plus some ideas of coping skills.
What I would suggest would be to encourage your wife to start keeping a journal. Help her find out what might trigger her cutting. Be patient. In the meantime, remind your wife of options she has other than cutting. Give her an ice cube to hold in her hand until it melts. Have her do something physical (you probably will want to check with your doctor first to find out what is safe).
I have self-harmed on and off for about 15 years, although I haven't done anything for about 8 months. My husband went from trying to stop me to realizing that it's not in his control. I had to stop myself. I have been in therapy on and off for about 6 years. I have been very introspective and have been open to discover what's going on and why I self-harm. This is hard for some people though, I'm not sure how easy it would be for your wife. What finally worked for me was a) realizing how much my self-harm was hurting my husband and that my apologies were starting to not mean anything because I continued to do it, b) getting a red sharpie and "slashing" myself when I felt like hurting myself, c) talking. If you notice that your wife is going to cut, try to get her to talk. It is like pulling teeth sometimes to get me to talk to my husband, but that's something that I have to make myself do.
Also suggest to your wife to start therapy. She can then explore her issues in a safe environment, but you have to be supportive because she will come home vulerable and fragile from these visits. It's very hard to open up for an hour then have to close up. It doesn't work that way.
I wish your wife luck with this. And again, congrats!




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