bluemoodgirl wrote:
Grimdalus wrote:
No. Don't... They won't understand and they will force you into a mental hospital. As long as you aren't collapsing from blood loss I see no problem with it. It's a coping mechanism. I'd rather cut myself than be on severe anti depressants.
right now i think a mental hospital would benefit me.
Then yes. Absolutely. Just go in knowing that they will not cure you. The role of the psych ward (There are virtually no long-term mental hospitals left in America) is to provide you with a break from destructive behavior, and to introduce you to outpatient resources, such as rehab, a therapist, etc. depending on your particular problem. They teach a few coping mechanisms, but I've never been in one that in any way radically changed my life. It's just to cool your heels.
If you're cutting, then you need help. Period. It's not "just a coping mechanism." It's potentially the most destructive coping mechanism you can come up with, and is often a lead-up to a much more severe and final form of self-harm.
It helps to understand why people cut to understand this. Cutting, just like any pain, provides you with a chemical high. Pain causes endorphins to be released by your body. You may not actively notice it. For me to notice, it took a night of burning myself over and over again, until I was in an almost opium like stupor. And like any drug, the more you get high, the more you need to get high. The release you feel from one or two cuts will soon require four or five, or for you to go deeper. The deeper you go, the greater the chance of permanent muscle damage, infection, or, yes, bleeding out.
You don't have to explain to your parents in detail. Tell them you're losing it, and you need help. Sometimes, a therapist can do it. If it's worse than that, go to the hospital and check yourself in. They're required by law to be confidential.