She showed me her arm and told me she cuts herself. I asked her if she was depressed and she said no. She has also been acting different lately. She has been acting more rude and mean lately. What should I do?
Have you asked why she cuts herself? She might be frustrated because she has no one to talk to about her problems. Although I'm no expert on this type of thing, I think you should assert that you're there for her. Ask if she knows that that kind of action is not healthy. Normally, a person cuts themselves as a way to release pain or forget the internal pain that they feel. Again, I am not an expert, and the most important thing you should do is see that she gets psychiatric help if she can.
I just talked to her, she said she's having problems with this one person but she won't tell me about it. I told her that I'll always be there for here and she can talk to me about anything. I also recommended counseling to her because she didn't want to talk about it to me but she doesn't want to see a counselor. I also told her that cuttting is unhealthy but she refuses to get help
Hmm... This is a tough one. There's not much you can do then. The best you can really do is just support her and give her an open ear whenever she's down. Hopefully she'll come around and get professional help because that's really dangerous to do. I'm sorry you have to watch your friend do this to herself (*hug*).
More likely than not, she's suffering. Cutting yourself is not some mill of the day thing to do. You should take the time to sit down with her and just tell her that you are here for her. Don't push for info, just let her know that she has a friend if she wants one. If it gets worse seriously consider telling a counselor or something.
If she's refusing to talk and she's refusing to get help from others, the amount of options you have here may be limited. She may not be depressed, but odds are she's doing this as a way of coping with something that's bothering her. She may be concerned about one person in particular, or there may be something else or something more going on. Try to be there to talk to her if she decides she wants to open up. Show her that you're willing to listen to her thoughts and won't judge her for them. Ultimately, if you feel like she's really in danger and could seriously hurt herself, you might pick someone to talk to about it - say, a guidance counselor at school. It's possible that she'll be upset you did, but if you think she could really be hurt, it may be worth it - but only as a last resort.
As a recovering self-harmer, I would want someone to say they are there for me, but not force me to talk about it. Don't make jokes about self harm, keep an eye out for triggering media, and keep your eye open for things that trigger your friend. And if your friend says something helps or doesn't help, take that into account.
