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Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

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Sophie_M Do you have a safety plan?
  • replies: 97

Safety planning involves creating a structured plan – ideally with support from your health professional or someone you trust – that you work through when you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings, distress or crisis. Your safety plan starts wi... View more

Safety planning involves creating a structured plan – ideally with support from your health professional or someone you trust – that you work through when you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, feelings, distress or crisis. Your safety plan starts with things you can do by yourself, such as thinking about your reasons to live and distracting yourself with enjoyable activities. It then moves on to coping strategies and people you can contact for support – your friends, family and health professionals. The safety planning model was developed in the US by suicide prevention experts Barbara Stanley and Gregory Brown. It has been used extensively by US veterans’ health organisations, hospital emergency departments and high schools, and there is strong evidence that it works. Many health professionals in Australia also use some form of safety planning to support clients experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, or after a suicide attempt. beyondblue has an app you can use to create a safety plan, called BeyondNow. The BeyondNow app takes the principles of safety planning and makes it even easier to use – so rather than carrying around a piece of paper, you’ve got it on your phone at all times. It’s free to download from the Apple Store or Google Play. If you don’t have a smartphone or would prefer to use your desktop or laptop, BeyondNow is also available to use on our website. Do you have a safety plan? Do you have questions around how you might create one, or fill out some of the sections? This thread is for discussing ideas around creating a safety plan, and sharing tips about what has been most useful about this process for you. Below are two videos featuring Peter and Nic, who have both used safety plans successfully. Peter Nic

Sophie_M PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: posting in this section
  • replies: 0

Life gets pretty hard sometimes and many people in this online community have had times where they have thought about hurting themselves or ending their life. This can be a stressful and at times overwhelming experience, and this section is here to h... View more

Life gets pretty hard sometimes and many people in this online community have had times where they have thought about hurting themselves or ending their life. This can be a stressful and at times overwhelming experience, and this section is here to help members who have had these experiences. This is a place to share where you are at, seek ideas for help and know that you are not alone. We are here to create a safe environment for everyone. Please do not provide any details about any plans/ideas that you may have had to hurt yourself, and importantly, help us to understand if you are safe by letting us know in the post. Making comments that let us know that you are having thoughts, but are safe, helps us to know that your conversation can continue without interruption, and that we do not need to put any further follow up for you in place. This section will not be for everyone.It shows posts from people who are distressed, offers public replies to these posts, and encourages people to come back and share how they got past that difficult point in time - what worked, what didn’t and how they now approach these difficult thoughts. It is important to think about what you want from the forums, what information you need and what threads will be helpful to your situation, rather than reading everything that is posted. For some people this section might be difficult to read – if it is not helping how you feel, then please consider moving to another section. This section, like the rest of our forums, is closely monitored and all posts are reviewed by moderators before publication. Moderators will also ensure that anyone needing follow up will be provided with information about how to access further support. ​This section remains a discussion forum focused on helping each other through the dark times, it is not a crisis support service. Any posts that do not abide by the community rules will not be published. Unlike other areas of the forum, threads in this section will be closed after a period of one month of inactivity. If you are in crisis or need immediate help, assistance is not available via these forums. Please call Suicide Call Back 1300 659 467, Lifeline 13 11 14 or contact emergency services on 000.

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Rah33 Suicidal thoughts
  • replies: 2

I suffer from depression/anxiety/PTSD. My suicidal thoughts have increased over the last few years. I catch myself thinking about suicide more frequently thinking it may be easier to end my life. I don’t think I have the ability to actually end my li... View more

I suffer from depression/anxiety/PTSD. My suicidal thoughts have increased over the last few years. I catch myself thinking about suicide more frequently thinking it may be easier to end my life. I don’t think I have the ability to actually end my life. I dont want to die but don’t really feel living suits me either . I have a husband who supports me, I’m scared to tell him of my thoughts Because I don’t want to upset him, I feel guilty for having these thoughts. I don’t go to the doctors because I will avoid interaction with people where I can. The last medication I tried gave me sleep paralysis and I am scared to start a new medicine because of side effects

Saree_p Bipolar ups and downs
  • replies: 6

You know when those times hit??? When you seek the appropriate services to manage your condition. When they turn around and say convention treatment isn't working and let's try this. The sinking feeling hits. Nothing is going to be. Nothing is ok. Th... View more

You know when those times hit??? When you seek the appropriate services to manage your condition. When they turn around and say convention treatment isn't working and let's try this. The sinking feeling hits. Nothing is going to be. Nothing is ok. The thoughts then darken further, if possible. Work is problematic and your unsure if you have a job. The one thing you are sure about, Nothing will ever change.

Mellow1474 I was doing so well... but I relapsed :(
  • replies: 4

HEY GUYS, this post might be triggering to some, I'm just In search of some advice. I'm in my early 20's and for the second time in the space of a year and a half I have attempted to take my life. My 2nd attempt was 4 days ago and I am currently stil... View more

HEY GUYS, this post might be triggering to some, I'm just In search of some advice. I'm in my early 20's and for the second time in the space of a year and a half I have attempted to take my life. My 2nd attempt was 4 days ago and I am currently still in hospital. As soon as I woke up I have been determined to get to the bottom of what has just happened. I am so confused and scared because after the 1st attempt I have worked so hard to get where I am and I was so proud of my growth. I didn't think I was capable of doing this again. I am diagnosed bipolar and on anti psychotic medication. The first time round long story short. Was in a reallly bad relationship couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, no self worth, I hated myself. I thought I was the worst person in the world and all I did was hurt people. When I was in that rock-bottom I genuinely thought I would be doing everyone a favour. I survived and I am so lucky to have had my family and friends to support but I'm so lucky to have the strength I did to get myself where I am now. Since I have done a bit of travelling. Backpacking for 6 months, now have landed in place I could settle for a bit got myself a really good job in retail and another job in a bar was living in a hostel having fun! For 3 weeks I have been here. Loving it. But the other day? I was drinking with friends had an amazing afternoon a fun night. Then I lost my wallet. Was searching for my wallet then all of a sudden got this overwhelming feeling and all of a sudden I was feeling exactly like I was the day I made my 1st attempt. And In a split second ... I'm here. I now have to go home unfortunately, but I'm happy I get to see my friends and fam from home. I am in search for DBT I have heard that is good? I'm sad about the situation but I am.more hopeful then anything, I want to live, I love life. I don't want this to happen to me again. If you have any advice or feel comfortable sharing your road to recovery I am all heart and ears

carer1 is there a Mental Health System??
  • replies: 3

Warning maybe triggering or depressing you call /chat for help , if your at risk or someone thinks you are the cops or ambulance are called, they keep you to one side of the ER for up to 8 hours then let you go, back into what ever caused you to be i... View more

Warning maybe triggering or depressing you call /chat for help , if your at risk or someone thinks you are the cops or ambulance are called, they keep you to one side of the ER for up to 8 hours then let you go, back into what ever caused you to be in the ER in the first place. Its not the workers fault they do what they do with what they have. Its the government playing withd peoples lives. Its too much money to do anything else. To find out what needs doing and do it. so those like me are left in our holes. What are the answers besides suicide ??

heyman i'm not too sure
  • replies: 4

i'm not sure that what i'm feeling is enough to be considered to be part of this section i'm scared of dying, and i don't like pain. i don't physically self-harm (unless biting myself but not breaking skin counts), and i'm too scared to even try suic... View more

i'm not sure that what i'm feeling is enough to be considered to be part of this section i'm scared of dying, and i don't like pain. i don't physically self-harm (unless biting myself but not breaking skin counts), and i'm too scared to even try suicide. but i think about hurting myself. Like as if i was another person being hurt. When i think about these things, i get tense, i pinch myself or scratch myself, but nothing that causes scars or marks. the thoughts sometimes appear randomly, but mostly appear when i'm in a weird mood and i'm in a situation where i feel suffocated and stressed. Sometimes they appear when i'm angry, but that rarely happens. I would never do these things to someone in real life, and i'm too scared to tell other people. i doubt i would try to hurt myself or get someone to hurt me in the future but i get thoughts.

Guest_4593 Why why why cant i leave
  • replies: 2

I wanna just go i cant be this third party anymore. Why do i have to be miserable helping everyone when the end is the same

I wanna just go i cant be this third party anymore. Why do i have to be miserable helping everyone when the end is the same

Retronoodles Psychosis stole my art skills and my will to live.
  • replies: 5

I had devastating manic psychosis June 2020. After coming out of the ward I noticed my art skills alone were absolutely destroyed. I need to say that I was a professional artist before my accident. I did animation work for Dreamworks and Netflix show... View more

I had devastating manic psychosis June 2020. After coming out of the ward I noticed my art skills alone were absolutely destroyed. I need to say that I was a professional artist before my accident. I did animation work for Dreamworks and Netflix shows and went to a prestigious internship and school prior, but my whole life I had gotten this far by working hard.Now however, I can barely do a sketch and the sketches always came out wrong. I am losing my ability to communicate this because I'm so upset. This is NOT creative deficit (aka. laziness) like many bipolar people say they have post mania. This is genuinely some cognitive issue keeping me from doing the fine decision making that it takes to be ME-level good at art. I can't attach an image of how I used to draw, it wont let me.I kept hoping these last two years that I'd see improvements. Sometimes I saw glimpses or so I thought, but they always end up as mediocre, broken and lumpy drawings. But art is subjective right? Other people in my life have told me my art looks fine. They have told me to be more 'well rounded'.Yeah tear off a butterflies wings and tell it to go do something else.It was my favorite thing and opened up the world. I'd draw at cafes, draw on trains and trams, doodle in class and create massive elaborate pieces late into the night when I was at home. I wont discard how art has shaped me my whole life. Art was breathing. Art was joy.Since my accident, I had to give up seeking freelance work, since I plain and simply couldn't damn do the work at the speed and skill level required. I hoped for a recovery, but until this day my drawing hasn't regenerated. I struggle, my brain gets tired. It just isn't high quality anymore. It's destroyed my self esteem, as everyone I know can see I'm worthless now. My psychiatrist hopefully isn't lying to me when he says I don't have brain damage and that it's just a matter of healing. Still I spent countless hours Googling trying to find information. Weirdly enough I can walk and talk and be me, just without the cognitive ability to draw.Maybe I just want to tell my abridged story, for some dingus doctor to get their act together and start helping people maybe? I'm seeing my psychiatrist in two weeks, it is never when I need it. I wish I could trust his words that I'll get better, but the world is unbearable and my head is screaming for escape.

Jacqui51 Hamster on a wheel
  • replies: 3

I have not posted for some time. Unsure if this will be a one off or not. Over the last months I have seen a pain specialist and had nerve ablation to try and reset pain reactions of Fibromyalgia using one area of deep pain. Not working for most of t... View more

I have not posted for some time. Unsure if this will be a one off or not. Over the last months I have seen a pain specialist and had nerve ablation to try and reset pain reactions of Fibromyalgia using one area of deep pain. Not working for most of the body but some relief in the area targeted. Challenges both personal and work related are still hurtling at me, faster than I can manage but somehow the body moves on each day. Pain on average is between 7 to 9 each day. Depression off the scale. Some reduction in suicidal thoughts perhaps due to new medication perhaps not. Conversation continues with psychiatrist and I do believe he cares and is working to provide support. Yet again however I find myself struggling to take the medication. I plan to email him about this over the weekend. It gives him time to consider things before we talk. As we begin to move into the second half of 2022 I do wonder about what will be the situation at the end of the year.

Lanie01 Want it to just STOP!!!!
  • replies: 3

I wouldn't normally reach out like this but I live everyday with constant chronic pain and other ongoing health issues and I can't show anyone because you can't see chronic pain, Yes you can see it when I walk but I try not to show people. It's there... View more

I wouldn't normally reach out like this but I live everyday with constant chronic pain and other ongoing health issues and I can't show anyone because you can't see chronic pain, Yes you can see it when I walk but I try not to show people. It's there when I try and sleep, it's then when I wake it never goes away. I want it to stop.I don't have any family support, I have family members but they are always busy, never have time for me, I have pretty much one friend but that is getting a bit harder as their life is always full of family and I'm not sure where I fit in anymore or anywhere.I suffer with depression and anxiety from childhood and trauma in my life and just had a huge upheaval by moving house after 15 years and its being a huge adjustment, I struggle to trust anyone so I hide away the fear grips me so I don't do anything, it scares me to feel so fearful all the time, i always feel so alone and lonely, my thoughts go to and currently are in a dark place and I'm not sure how to get out of this spiral.Any advice would be a help at this point when I think about if I ended it all the pain would go away everything would stop and I don't think I would be missed.How can I survive this spiral?I don't want to burden people with my problems, so I keep people at arms length, I don't let anyone get close to me because its too higher a risk of being hurt again and I;m not sure I can cope with that again, there is only so much one can take

Loula Am I alone?
  • replies: 5

Am I alone? Every time something goes wrong I want to self-harm. I start holding my wrists tight. All I can think is you can harm yourself and it will feel better. I do know it will only feel better for like 15 minutes then make me feel worse for day... View more

Am I alone? Every time something goes wrong I want to self-harm. I start holding my wrists tight. All I can think is you can harm yourself and it will feel better. I do know it will only feel better for like 15 minutes then make me feel worse for days. I’m not going to. But the feeling of doing it is so tempting and I don’t know why, except if I do something wrong or think of a bad memory this happens.