I think I'm beginning to relapse in my self harm..I feel as if I need extra help because of this. I already have a therapist and a psychiatrist, but I feel as if they can't help me. I feel as if I need someone to monitor me so I won't hurt myself, because I'm alone most of the time at home. I mean, I got rid of my blades that I used to cut myself with, but I've started using a new method. Ugh, do you think it's a good idea for me to be monitored at a mental facility? If so, how do i go about asking my mom? I'm afraid I'm really going to hurt myself. :/
Last edited by random.swirls : 04-11-2012 at 10:38 AM.
Reason: Please see your pm's xox
The biggest question would be where are you located if in the uk it's highly unlikely you would be admitted for self harm and to be honest it would be of little benefit as whilst hospital keeps you safe it offers no therapy or long term support and so if you aren't in crisis then when home you have learnt nothing new and no ways of supporting yourself. In addition typically your fellow patients are incredibly unwell often psychotic and it can thus be an incredibly draining scary time.
I know hospitals that work on insurance say in the us tend to offer more in the way of therapy I would still question if it was right for a self harmer in part as whilst in hospital it's a clinical 'safe' environment but that isn't replicable at home generally and that's the wnvironment you'll be living in.
Either way if things are bad talk to your care team and your mum and see what you can come up with collectively after all if this is a relapse you've beaten it once before!
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
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Like others have already said, hospital isn't really the best environment to go for self harm relapse. I'd say unless you are in immediate danger of killing yourself or in danger of extreme, severe self harm, then it wouldn't really be helpful to go to hospital. There are things you can do at home to make yourself safer. I would give that a try first, or try talking to your therapist/psych/cc before deciding to go to hospital.
Usually, people aren't admitted for self harm alone. However, if you think you are unsafe and your life is at risk or you will cause severe harm to yourself then go to the ER to see a psychiatrist.
The reason people are not routinely admitted to hospital for self harm is that it just places people into a safe, protective bubble for a while and they never learn how to deal with their self harm urges in the real world. You can't go into hospital everytime you feel unsafe. Usually, you would live at home in the community and receive counselling or therapy as needed.
However, there are longer term therapy units out there for self harmers. I was admitted to one for six months as my self harm had been getting severe and I needed to be in a safer place. We had intense group therapy every day and had to plan how to cope with our urges and plan what we would do at home on the weekends so that we wouldn't self harm.
Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different…
you once called your brain a hard drive, well say hello to the virus.
After my recent stay/section into a psych ward for my self harm and mental state and other issues, I have to agree with people above, hospital isn't the place for someone who is relapsing into self harm. They are usually full of other patients who are incredibly ill and delusional, psychotic, catatonic, etc etc, and it can be very unsettling, scary, frightening, nerve-wrecking, uncomfortable, anxiety-provoking, etc etc.
There are different kinds of hospitals however, such as specialist hospitals for specific issues, like eating disorders, BPD, self harm that could potentially become life threatening, etc etc.
There are many types of hospitals but hospital may not be the option for you.
Whether in hospital or in the community, they'd most likely offer the same thing ; therapy.
Therapy can help you with your self harm, obviously only if you're ready to let people help you and to help yourself with it.
But hospital can make things worse.
Personally, my recent stay at hospital made me worse and crap all was done in there to help you with the reason(s) you are there for, it was a horrid place, and a lot of the people there should not be there, they should be in a place where they are specialized in helping them, and other factors made it awful, too.
The only plus is that I met my girlfriend in there, and I now have a few good friends by meeting them in there.
I know when you feel unsafe and desperate, you think hospital = safety, but sometimes hospital can make you worse, and you may find that if you do go into hospital, it's not the place for you and they don't help you with your problem(s), or aren't specialized to do so, and other patients may make you feel uncomfortable or they may scare you, many many reasons here that are against going into hospital.
I understand you are feeling distressed, but in the end, therapy is really what could be best helpful for self harm, so whether in hospital or in community, therapy would still be the best bet I would assume, talking, learning new skills to cope, coping with life in general, taking control back, learning how to be in control, learning all sorts of things, etc etc.
Could you tell the professionals you see right now how you are feeling?
[Post above was removed, so now this looks odd. Hm.]
^^ Agree.
I was able to harm myself in the hospital, I was rarely monitored/watched, I received no therapy, they did have activities sometimes, such as arts and crafts, gym, computer time, uhm... relaxation, but my day would typically consist of ; cups of teas, watching TV, chain smoking, and talking to other patients or being on my phone to people who make the days go by quicker and distract you from the mess that is your own mind.
Pretty much, you had all day to think, think, think.
And thinking isn't always good.
At all, actually.
You get more and more distressed, you think about so many different things, mostly negative, then that triggers you, and you feel like harming yourself, and if it's anything like the hospital I was in recently, you will succeed in harming yourself, because you wouldn't be monitored, or checked on and asked if you're okay/having urges/etc, even if you've told someone, staff would rarely be around and if they were, they weren't really bothered about how you are.
People succeed in sneaking things in, right now, friends of mine in there managed to get pills in, alcohol in, it's ridiculous and dangerous.
I managed to sneak in blades, they weren't thorough at all with checking me, just emptied my pockets and that's it. I could have had tons of crap I wasn't allowed in my bra/knickers/socks/shoes/etc. Other people may, and do, sneak stuff in that's damaging to them.
They aren't specialized in treating and helping you with the specific problems you struggle with. I think most of the time, they admit people and they change their meds and wait for the meds to work and then discharge them... I'm not sure, but either way, they aren't specialized.
Getting better in the community would be a lot better than going into some strange hospital where they probably aren't specialized in treating you and you'd be scared/insecure/feeling distressed, etc etc.
