Story Help - Working Title - "Skin"

Okay here's the deal. For my final story for my Creative Writing class I want to write this idea I've had for a while. Its working title is Skin. Some how I need to make this believable and I need lots of suggestions.

The story line goes something like this:

A girl is simply laying in her room (about high school age) it's the summer and she's unbearably bored. It's hot, that humid summer heat and makes you really lazy and tired. She tries to entertain herself but can't. She begins to think about her skin. She feels like it's restraining her and eventually cuts it all off (by several different methods).

I realize that this is a very disturbing idea. But I need a reason that someone would cut their skin off. Boredom doesn't seem strong enough to me. (She is a little depressed) Does anyone know of any sort of mental disorder?

Or any reasoning you can come up with? Or anything at all? Is it an absolutely terrible idea? Please let me know.

Clover Madison wrote:Okay here's the deal. For my final story for my Creative Writing class I want to write this idea I've had for a while. Its working title is Skin. Some how I need to make this believable and I need lots of suggestions.

The story line goes something like this:

A girl is simply laying in her room (about high school age) it's the summer and she's unbearably bored. It's hot, that humid summer heat and makes you really lazy and tired. She tries to entertain herself but can't. She begins to think about her skin. She feels like it's restraining her and eventually cuts it all off (by several different methods).

I realize that this is a very disturbing idea. But I need a reason that someone would cut their skin off. Boredom doesn't seem strong enough to me. (She is a little depressed) Does anyone know of any sort of mental disorder?

Or any reasoning you can come up with? Or anything at all? Is it an absolutely terrible idea? Please let me know.

I suppose if she were stark raving insane, she might. You'll have to take into account that it's going to hurt--rather more than a lot.

But if she's schizophrenic--or perhaps has a history of odd fits, in her family? Insanity, like King Lear; perhaps. If she believes someone else is causing the pain and she can't get away from it, she might as well keep going.

Those thoughts--disjointed--are hopefully some help. Wikipedia, as usual, wouldn't be a bad place to start, if you want to glance at some overviews of mental disorders. She would have to be bloody insane to do something like that.

schizophrenia.... thats exactly what I was thinking when reading your entry. It actually sounds like a great story and I'd like to see it in context????
But then... severe depression is alternative if you want her to sort herself at the end???