Infection - A few weird (but important) questions.....

[well]

Since the first-aid advisors are sort of MIA, answers are even more appreciated.....

A few things that I have been wondering about recently:

1) How much do you have to take of something for it to be considered an "overdose?" .....doesn't that only mean like, a TON of stuff (and with the intention of actually DYING).....and not like, hey, I think I'll take a few extra.....like, "I TMTTHD'D last night....." took more than the healthy dose.....what would THAT be called? I just want to know if my stupidness has a specific "name", and other people who have done it too.....

2) How would you know if you did, in fact, take a little too much of something? What are the signs?

3) How do you know if you hit a vein? Because I think I might have found one.....but I've never SEEN one before, so I don't know if there's random OTHER purple-y things inside of you.....

4) How do you know if you need to go somewhere (like a loony bin.....o.0)? When do you know that you REALLY need to go? What if you have just enough insurance not to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to actually pay for it?

5) How do you tell your therapist that you have been doing something bad (that they didn't really know about), for like 3 1/2 years, when you completely can't do confrontations and you always chicken out.....and you don't want to have to sit there after.....and even if you think you want to tell the truth, your mouth automatically lies.....VERY convincingly.....like I'm not ALLOWED to say it.....

6) How do you know if what you're doing is right? Or if it's just your "mental illness" that is making you think/do/feel something.....

7) Is it normal/the least bit sane to like, violently pick at your shoulders when you are upset/anxious/trying to hold off a panic attack.....to the point that you look like you got attacked by a small animal with very sharp claws?

8) Do any other people feel the worst at night? Like REALLY bad.....is that totally crazy.....?

[.ghost.]

Could you change the font and colour of your post please? Sorry to be petty, but it makes it really hard to read and you're more likely to get replies if people can read it easily.

I'm not a first aid advisor so you might want to get a few second opinions on some of this, but I'll try my best to answer some of your questions.

As far as I'm aware, and OD just means more than the recommended dose, not all ODs are taken with suicidal intentions. Some people take regular small ODs as a form of self harm, small ODs are still dangerous though so I would recommend you PM a first aid advisor with the amount you took and what it was, as it could still cause damage and you might need to go to your doctor about it.

There are not always signs straight away with ODs, sometimes it does damage that you can't see or even feel, which is why if you took a lot more than the recommended dose it would be important to go to your doctor. You might have severe stomach pains and vomit a lot, but that depends on what you've taken and how much.

I've never hit a vein, but I know about someone who had and they said it was still have bleeding more than 3 hours later, even though they'd bandaged it and everything. There are also certain places where veins are closer to the surface, so if it's on one of them and is bleeding heavily you might have hit a vein.

If you're unsafe and feeling very suicidal you can go to the hospital I think, although this might depend on where you live, same with the insurance. Can you try and get an emergency appointment with your therapist? They might be able to assess you to see whether you need to be hospitalised.

I can't really talk about my ED to people that much, so I had to write it down for my psych, maybe you could try the same?

What are you doing that you are unsure about? If you mean cutting and ODing, they're neither right or wrong in my opinion, it's a coping mechanism and although unhealthy and in the case of ODs, dangerous, I'm not going to tell you that what you're doing is 'wrong'.

I think quite a lot of people who SI sometimes do things other that cutting in stressful situations where you have to do something more subtle than taking out a blade, particularly when you're with other people, or if you don't have to access to blades. It's not abnormal to hurt yourself in another way from cutting.

Sometimes I feel worse at night because during the day, I have more things to do and less time to think about things, whereas at night it's possible to just lie there by myself and think about everything bad, without anyone/anything interrupting me.

Hope some of this helps.
Take care
xx

[D-liscious]

1) How much do you have to take of something for it to be considered an "overdose?"

technically an overdose is actully taking more of something that is recomoneded, ie, the box says, take 2 tablets every 4 hours, if you take more then "technically" you have overdosed.


2) How would you know if you did, in fact, take a little too much of something? What are the signs?

it really depends on what you had taken, but you may feel sick or dizzy, maybe sleepy , but it really depends on what you had taken.

3) How do you know if you hit a vein? I've never SEEN one before, so I don't know if there's random OTHER purple-y things inside of you.....
there are many random purple things inside you! but if it takes longer than usual to stop the bleeding chances are you have hit a vein, and you should apply pressure to the would for 15 mins, if it has not stopped after that you need to get medical attention.

4) How do you know if you need to go somewhere (like a loony bin.....o.0)? When do you know that you REALLY need to go? What if you have just enough insurance not to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to actually pay for it?

im not sure how to advise you on this as im in the uk and dont know what the process is in outer countries, but generally its not you who decides its another medical professional, here you whould have to see your gp or another medical professional who was overseeing your care and they would decide when hospitalisation would be benificial to you. As for the financial implications, im sorry i dont know.


5) How do you tell your therapist that you have been doing something bad (that they didn't really know about), for like 3 1/2 years, when you completely can't do confrontations and you always chicken out.....and you don't want to have to sit there after.....and even if you think you want to tell the truth, your mouth automatically lies.....VERY convincingly.....like I'm not ALLOWED to say it.....

here is where i can sypathise with you i find it really hard to tell people stuff, i get worried about what they will think of me and especially when its to do with my SH because in my ecperience they just dont know what to say or do, however when i eventually , got somone else to tell my counceller, she was amazing (i know they are not all like that) she had never delt with SH before and went and read about it and learned about it so she could help me!

if you are going to get any of the kind of help you really need then you have to be honest with your therapist (and yourself which is sometimes harder (i think)) if you find it hard to say it, maybe you could write it down, that way you can make sure you tell them every thing you want them to and you have time to make sure it comes out the rite way, hope this helps.


6) How do you know if what you're doing is right? Or if it's just your "mental illness" that is making you think/do/feel something.....

its difficult again to answer thin not knowing your mental illness, they affect different things, a good test might be to ask someone you trust on the situation, they may be able to help you rationalise your thinking.


7) Is it normal/the least bit sane to like, violently pick at your shoulders when you are upset/anxious/trying to hold off a panic attack.....to the point that you look like you got attacked by a small animal with very sharp claws?

Yes this is perfectly normal, you are doing everything possible to hold off the pannic attack, its not good tho if it makes your shoulders look like that, you may want to talk to your therapist about this and between you try to work out other (less harmful) ways of trying to compe when you feel a pannic ataack coming on.


8) Do any other people feel the worst at night? Like REALLY bad.....is that totally crazy.....?

most people feel the worst at nigt that is totally normal, especially if you have trouble sleeping, it can be really lonely there is so much less to distract you.

really hope this helps, feel free to pm me if you need to talk.

Debbie

[inkyspider]

Okay, first off, i am not a first aid advisor so most of what i'm writing is just my personal opinion, so don't take it too seriously.


1) How much do you have to take of something for it to be considered an "overdose?"
Anything over the recommended amount counts as an overdose. Anything more than you're meant to take can be harmful. You are not alone, i know i've done it before, and i know of other people who have. Do you know why you take more than you should? If you do it to harm yourself then it is another form of self harm.

2) How would you know if you did, in fact, take a little too much of something? What are the signs?
The signs of the drug specifically damaging the body can vary from drug to drug. Although, generally nausea is a symptom. Anything more than the recommended dose can do your body harm, even if you feel no physical symptoms.

3) How do you know if you hit a vein?
Generally there is a lot of bleeding and the blood is pretty dark. But it is a lot safer to stay away from it if there is any chance it could be a vein.

4) How do you know if you need to go somewhere (like a loony bin.....o.0)? When do you know that you REALLY need to go? What if you have just enough insurance not to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to actually pay for it?
It depends on the person and the problem. When you are a serious danger to yourself it is likely you might need to got to hospital. With regards to the money it depends on your insurance plan and stuff, it should be in the small print.

5) How do you tell your therapist that you have been doing something bad?
Why don't you say that to your therapist? Tell her you're having trouble saying it and maybe she'll be able to help you talk about it.

6) How do you know if what you're doing is right? Or if it's just your "mental illness" that is making you think/do/feel something.....
That is what a therapist can be very useful for, explain what you think the problem is and ask their opinion. Also, i'm happy to talk to you if you want to get anything of your chest or ask about something.

7) Is it normal/the least bit sane to like, violently pick at your shoulders when you are upset/anxious/trying to hold off a panic attack.....to the point that you look like you got attacked by a small animal with very sharp claws?
Normal is a relative term. Being on RYL makes SH seem 'normal' when in the general world it's not seen as 'normal'. When people get nervous or upset they can SH, as it can be helpful for calming. That is not to say it's a good thing to do. Anything that can cause you harm is not a good thing. Maybe try talking to your therapist about it and try to look at other ways to deal with anxiety.

8) Do any other people feel the worst at night? Like REALLY bad.....is that totally crazy.....?
I know exactly what you mean. I have the same thing, as i think quite a few people on here do. I generally only SH at night as well. I had to give myself a rule (it sounds absurd, so don't laugh at me!) but i said i could try and kill myself at night unless i was still just as sure in the morning. There have been nights when this was really hard, but i'm glad i kept to it.


I hope you're okay.
I'm always around if you want to chat.
Tabby x

[Trucktastic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by well

Since the first-aid advisors are sort of MIA, answers are even more appreciated.....

A few things that I have been wondering about recently:

1) How much do you have to take of something for it to be considered an "overdose?" .....doesn't that only mean like, a TON of stuff (and with the intention of actually DYING).....and not like, hey, I think I'll take a few extra.....like, "I TMTTHD'D last night....." took more than the healthy dose.....what would THAT be called? I just want to know if my stupidness has a specific "name", and other people who have done it too.....
As the others have said, an overdose is actually taking more than the recommended dose. I have done it, I think a lot of people do it, mainly by accident or in the hope that whatever you've taken will work quicker or more effectively. But it is harmful.
2) How would you know if you did, in fact, take a little too much of something? What are the signs?
It depends really on what you take - if you take too much of something then the main thing that will happen is the side effects will get a bit more viscious. E.g. if the side effect is drowsiness, it will be worse. If the side effect is nausea, it will be worse.

3) How do you know if you hit a vein? Because I think I might have found one.....but I've never SEEN one before, so I don't know if there's random OTHER purple-y things inside of you.....
Coz the blood will be darker red than usual and it won't stop bleeding. Veins don't spurt, they ooze. If it's spurting you need to get to hospital immediately and sod the cost. If it's oozing you still need to get to hospital but not as speedily as the other one. I.e spurting - call an amulance/paramedic, hold the wound tightly and the wounded limb up. If oozing, wrap it tightly in a towel or something and get someone to drive you to a hospital.

4) How do you know if you need to go somewhere (like a loony bin.....o.0)? When do you know that you REALLY need to go? What if you have just enough insurance not to qualify for financial aid, but not enough to actually pay for it?
I don't really know about that one - I think you can sign yourself in, but I think one of the requirements is that you're feeling suicidal and unsafe. they won't just take people in because they want a vacation! You can speak to your doctor on that one and ask for the specific requirements. If your insurance won't stretch to it, or your own finances won't either, then I think your stuffed really. Sorry.
5) How do you tell your therapist that you have been doing something bad (that they didn't really know about), for like 3 1/2 years, when you completely can't do confrontations and you always chicken out.....and you don't want to have to sit there after.....and even if you think you want to tell the truth, your mouth automatically lies.....VERY convincingly.....like I'm not ALLOWED to say it.....
Write it down is the best thing. Then you can tell yourself and the part of you that doesn't want you to tell anyone that all you're doing is writing it down to remember. Then post it or hand it to your therapist. You don't need to be there when he or she reads it, you can just ask them to read it when you've left the session if you hand it to them. They'll be used to receiving things on paper, and it's also a good way for you to get it out so that you can go through it and maybe understand the issues a bit more.
6) How do you know if what you're doing is right? Or if it's just your "mental illness" that is making you think/do/feel something.....
Ask someone that you trust. That's the easiest way to do it. Also make sure you're not breaking the law where you are. Unless you're completely psychotic or a sociopath you'll know somewhere that what you're doing, done or are going to do is the right thing or not.

7) Is it normal/the least bit sane to like, violently pick at your shoulders when you are upset/anxious/trying to hold off a panic attack.....to the point that you look like you got attacked by a small animal with very sharp claws?
You're a self harmer. It is normal for a self harmer to harm when we are trying to feel better. And at least you've got an excuse - you were attacked by a crazed hamster!
8) Do any other people feel the worst at night? Like REALLY bad.....is that totally crazy.....?

I only cut at night - I agree with some of the other replies. Night can be a bad thing, it's dark, can be a scary time, or a lonely, cold time, and I would be surprised if someone told me that they never felt bad at night. It makes you human, not crazy. Humans have a built in tendancy to be wary of night - this has been inherited from the early humans who were living on the plains of Africa, and being hunted as prey.


Take care
Lozx

[well]

Thanks for your answers so far.....I'm kind of new at this "not being the only one" thing.....think I might take advantage of those PM's every so often.....if you guys don't mind or anything, I mean!!!!! .....and .ghost., sorry about the green!!!!! I'll try to stay away from that color.....although it'll be hard.....it's so glowy.....0.o.....

[Sorrowfree]

Sorry this is so short, but I just wanted to add that it's very normal to feel worst at night. I often do. It's logical- everything's dark, you might be alone, you're left to dwell on your thoughts and worry about the next day. It's not called a "dark night of the soul" for nothing. ^_-