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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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Haggard My story
  • replies: 2

To introduce myself simply I am a male high school student approaching my final year. Since the age of roughly 7 I have felt like my life worthless. I’ve never had a defining trait aside from being the person there to fill in space, one of my biggest... View more

To introduce myself simply I am a male high school student approaching my final year. Since the age of roughly 7 I have felt like my life worthless. I’ve never had a defining trait aside from being the person there to fill in space, one of my biggest grievances is that I lack hope. I don’t expect to own a house nor do I expect to have kids, get in a romantic relationship, find a job, find a hobby, or even simply feel content. This doesn’t mean I do not want these things it is just the fact that these things will likely never happen. I’ve struggled with self harm through my life even at that young age, I struggle to manage my frustration, I struggle to get tears out when I’m feeling down, I struggle to find the good inside myself when I can see it in others, I struggle to take criticism, I struggle to take compliments. This is just the tip of the iceberg that makes up me as a person. To me self harm can range from things like substances, self-injury, isolation/‘bed rotting’, repeating self deprecating thoughts, etc. yes I’ve done it all but yet I find myself too scared to take my life. my home life I wouldn’t call rough, yes we’ve had plenty of problems which I won’t go into but the stage my home life is at now would be considered good in comparison to some of the stories I’ve heard and seen. i don’t have a clear understanding or grasp of what is exactly causing this, i just think it’s me. To finish off I will list a range of things I feel and do on a daily basis so whoever willingly reads this may get a grasp on how I feel and who I am. Restlessness, Depression, Anxiety, Paranoia, Stress, Hopelessness, Constant feeling of choking, Lack of appetite, inability to speak, self isolation, poor memory, fatigue, self deprecation.

Doe What to do/ where to get hepp
  • replies: 3

Hi, I am the survivor of recent suicide after along stay in hospitals. I am struggling with getting well both in mind and spirit. My body has healed to a great degree. More so the ever persistent feeling of remorse and shame over what I have done and... View more

Hi, I am the survivor of recent suicide after along stay in hospitals. I am struggling with getting well both in mind and spirit. My body has healed to a great degree. More so the ever persistent feeling of remorse and shame over what I have done and the grief I brought to my family.

Guest_06154239 Self harm, suicide, depression
  • replies: 2

I’m 14 and have been struggling a lot lately. I’m just looking for people who understand how I’m feeling and are up for a chat to distract myself

I’m 14 and have been struggling a lot lately. I’m just looking for people who understand how I’m feeling and are up for a chat to distract myself

lost_echo having to live
  • replies: 1

i think after a while, ive come to the conclusion that despite wanting to die and honestly praying for it every moment, even fantasising about possibilities about me dying, ive accepted that i cant die. like, i just cant. i feel like im not allowed t... View more

i think after a while, ive come to the conclusion that despite wanting to die and honestly praying for it every moment, even fantasising about possibilities about me dying, ive accepted that i cant die. like, i just cant. i feel like im not allowed to because the world tells me not to and i think the strongest factor is my mum. i dont want to make her sad. like i know that once im dead then theres nothing i can do about her emotions and how she copes with it but i love her too much to put her in such pain because i know she loves me but i think its ironic how im living to please someone, like it feels wrong but this point, thats literally the only reason why im not going to kill myself. that doesnt mean im not suicidal though and i think thats very evident but despite being in this mental state im going to live. killing myself has become not an option for me anymore (although i think about it everyday). but because ive accepted this reality of having to exist despite not wanting to, i dont know what im supposed to do now. like theoretically, i should be going to uni and meet a guy, fall in love and graduate from uni and get job and so on but thats things that i never imagined and plus, i dont want to live in that first place so i feel like its wrong to keep using my parents money to 'live' because it honestly feels wasteful but at the same time, what else am i going to do. humans either live or die and death isnt an option for me anymore because 'im young' and 'have so much to live for' so yeah. i feel like im kinda stuck in the conundrum where i want so desperately can not be attained so im doing something else but because i dont find any pleasure in this option, i feel like i will never be fully happy with my life and i will continue to have a war in brain about living and praying that i die soon, whether by some sort of accident, someone killing me and i fall ill.

Anabel W hi
  • replies: 2

hi , i am a 14 year old girl struggling very badly with sh thoughts and urges. when these urges come on all i want to feel is pain and hurt and i dont know what to do, obviously being my age and still living with my parents is hard to do any harm to ... View more

hi , i am a 14 year old girl struggling very badly with sh thoughts and urges. when these urges come on all i want to feel is pain and hurt and i dont know what to do, obviously being my age and still living with my parents is hard to do any harm to myself without anyone noticing. but that just makes me feel more and more trapped knowing i need to feel something but i just can't. i would like to see if there is any other girls around my age struggling with the same thoughts because i feel so alone and different in this world.

Picture Inner Pain
  • replies: 1

Helloi am feeling significant inner pain right now over an incident I cannot change. While I would not contemplate suicide because of my family and hurting others, I find myself thinking about going to sleep and not waking up. I am seeing a psycholog... View more

Helloi am feeling significant inner pain right now over an incident I cannot change. While I would not contemplate suicide because of my family and hurting others, I find myself thinking about going to sleep and not waking up. I am seeing a psychologist so will raise this with her this week. I am struggling day to day. I just want to stay in bed, feel very flat and depressed. My husband is helping a lot with looking after kids etc. I have seen the gp for medication but I am wondering if I need something else. Hard to see the way forward so am just taking it a day at a time.

Guest_06261655 I need advice
  • replies: 1

hi guys i need help i have depression anxiety, ptsd probably cptsd and a lot of other stuff my parents are divorced my dad sucks i live with my mum i went to court against my brothers at age 7 i started self-harming at age 9 I'm now 15 i have self de... View more

hi guys i need help i have depression anxiety, ptsd probably cptsd and a lot of other stuff my parents are divorced my dad sucks i live with my mum i went to court against my brothers at age 7 i started self-harming at age 9 I'm now 15 i have self destructive behaviours and have started self harming again my mum doesnt like me she is always saying im narcissistic and manipulative when i wasn't trying to do anything like that she has taken my notebooks and music all my coping strategies and cries for help are labeled as manipulation every small mistake a carefully crafted lie she is removing me from all the friend groups that i have been able to open up to.one second she will be happy im being a second parent and leading my sisters then shell snap and tell me to stop undermining her authority she is trying to make my sisters hate me by telling them im reading smut when it was a short romance scene similar to harry potter romances, i don't know what to do any advice is welcome

Beaser Tired of fighting this battle.
  • replies: 209

I hope im ok to post as ive posted so often on other forums but im feeling very desperate lately. Im just so tired of fighting. I left a job i was in for many years last year. I have since had some part time work that didnt work out. Im lonely and go... View more

I hope im ok to post as ive posted so often on other forums but im feeling very desperate lately. Im just so tired of fighting. I left a job i was in for many years last year. I have since had some part time work that didnt work out. Im lonely and going broke. I was desperate and called triple o last week only to be left to my own devices again. I may be going into a facility called parc a non acute inpatient service but that thought scares me. I dont know how much more i can endure. I hope every one is well and thank you for reading Brett