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Suicidal thoughts and self-harm

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Sophie_M Do you have a safety plan?
  • replies: 96

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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Smb81 I can't get an appointment with my DOctor.
  • replies: 5

There are no appointments available until next week with my doctor and her team, and I'm very distressed. There is a big mix-up with documents I provided to Centrelink about my financial situation and I can't understand how to fix it. I have been ups... View more

There are no appointments available until next week with my doctor and her team, and I'm very distressed. There is a big mix-up with documents I provided to Centrelink about my financial situation and I can't understand how to fix it. I have been upset all weekend I got the letter Friday night. I can't think straight. I have a constant bad headache and my heart is racing. I've been trying to ring Centrelink all morning and the computerised system kept hanging up on me. I finally got put on hold and it's been more than 1 and a half hours already and still, that horrible music is playing and I dare not hang up. I'm just feeling like what's the point of anything? I'm old, can't find work, and can't understand the paperwork I must fill out. I need exact date statements from my bank, showing my exact bank balances on that day last year, and the bank won't help me they will only give me the regular 3 monthly statements. The bank just laughed and said yes can't do it, I said Centrelink is demanding them and they said yes Centrelink is like that, we can't help you. I need help to fill out paperwork but I can't imagine anyone that could help me. I don't have friends or anything. Someone said that Centrelink is there to help you. I don't feel that's true. Because of the mistakes they say I have made, I fear I am going to be cut off and have a large debt to pay because these papers were from last year and it took them this long to query them.

Marnay21 Am I actually depressed or just sad/attention seeking
  • replies: 6

Hi For roughly the past 2 years (I don't remember exactly when it started) I think I have been feeling depressed. Generally, I ignore the feelings of sadness and push them down until something triggers them again. The only problem with this is I thin... View more

Hi For roughly the past 2 years (I don't remember exactly when it started) I think I have been feeling depressed. Generally, I ignore the feelings of sadness and push them down until something triggers them again. The only problem with this is I think I'm just looking for attention, instead of actually being depressed and I want someone to take notice of me for once. When I'm around my friends, I laugh and make jokes and I think I feel happy yet I still feel empty inside. The depression comes in waves almost, as in I'm fine one day then crappy the next, and have the most suicidal, self-degrading thoughts ever. Everything feels like it's just going to go straight down the toilet so I just don't try for anything anymore. Because of this, my grades have dropped and my mum yells at me about how "useless" I am and how I'm "wasting my talents" as I used to be relatively smart. (Dad isn't in the picture in case you are wondering). I'm sad so much that it physically hurts inside, as in my chest will tighten and my heart aches. But then if I google "depression symptoms" only one or two of the symptoms match what I feel so am I genuinely depressed or just sad and wanting attention?

As_Mita Suicidal thoughts
  • replies: 2

Even though I am trying so hard, I feel like I won’t be able to achieve anything in my life. As I am an international student studying in Australia and I am in long distance with my family and husband. I am not able to work these days and even can’t ... View more

Even though I am trying so hard, I feel like I won’t be able to achieve anything in my life. As I am an international student studying in Australia and I am in long distance with my family and husband. I am not able to work these days and even can’t focus on my study. I am loosing everything. I feel like I have no purpose in my life anymore. But I can’t do anything wrong thinking of my family back home .

thisisbs Just wondering if I am alone
  • replies: 4

I lost my 2 furbabies about a decade ago, and I am still grieving and still blaming myself (one cat died possibly because of my neglect, the other was re-homed by my ex). I know most people won’t care because no one really cares about animals. I am t... View more

I lost my 2 furbabies about a decade ago, and I am still grieving and still blaming myself (one cat died possibly because of my neglect, the other was re-homed by my ex). I know most people won’t care because no one really cares about animals. I am thinking about self-harming (it’s been a long time) because I think I deserve it and I also think most people let themselves off the hook very easily, when they should feel guilty and ashamed of what they’ve done. Am I the only one who thinks this way? I don’t think I want to change it. Curious what others think.

Jason New Job, Haven't Started It Yet
  • replies: 1

Hi everyone. I went for an interview last week, and I got the job, I was meant to start this past Monday, but I asked if I could start on Wednesday, but I've asked to start the following week, because anxiety has hit me again. I heard my boss was loo... View more

Hi everyone. I went for an interview last week, and I got the job, I was meant to start this past Monday, but I asked if I could start on Wednesday, but I've asked to start the following week, because anxiety has hit me again. I heard my boss was looking for another potential employer, I just can't start work yet. I will try to start next week, but I have a feeling that the boss will hire somebody else.

LaineYG Troubled mind
  • replies: 39

today I woke up having serious and really strong urge to end my life.. this is probably triggered by how my life is atm... aside from having a good job that I actually love as well as having a roof over my head, I got nothing to really show for... I ... View more

today I woke up having serious and really strong urge to end my life.. this is probably triggered by how my life is atm... aside from having a good job that I actually love as well as having a roof over my head, I got nothing to really show for... I got no one to turn to when I’m struggling... I got no friends and have limited supports in the community. The nearest hospital to me knows me well but has been giving a subpar care coz they got a different view of me, they think I’m a joke and is making all these things up... how can I trust that they’ll do right by me when they have that idea of me... this is why I’d rather be dead now than feel like this and be related like a piece of s**t. This is probably what’s best for everyone... once it’s done and I’m gone, everyone will be relieved and have one less problem to think off...

Casper84 Dealing with Unwanted uncomfortable thoughts.
  • replies: 9

Hi There, I haven’t posted in the forums for a while but over the past while my mental health has been spiralling events in my life just a quick summary (Long term ankle injury, chronic pain, finally surgery on injury and recovery, loss of employment... View more

Hi There, I haven’t posted in the forums for a while but over the past while my mental health has been spiralling events in my life just a quick summary (Long term ankle injury, chronic pain, finally surgery on injury and recovery, loss of employment unable to return to previous profession , financial problems have taken their toll and have left me feeling as though my anti depressants aren’t working and I have been experiencing suicidal ideation over the past few months. It seemed to come and go and at first I was able to find ways of getting it out of my head but over the past week. I have been having the thoughts more regularly. I have an appointment with a Clinical Psychologist next week my first one at a new clinic but have been to the point that I am writing goodbye letters to my family even though I have no actual plans in place to end my life. I just want the thoughts to go away. I also want to know if they are a side effect of my medication as I have been on anti depressants for a long time now.

Lozza90 TW: Depression, Self harm and SI
  • replies: 75

I honestly don't know what is wrong with me. I feel completely and utterly broken. I feel like there is this deep emptiness inside and I just don't feel anything. I've been battling some really intense and intrusive thoughts and I just don't feel lik... View more

I honestly don't know what is wrong with me. I feel completely and utterly broken. I feel like there is this deep emptiness inside and I just don't feel anything. I've been battling some really intense and intrusive thoughts and I just don't feel like I have any fight left inside of me. All I can think about is hurting myself...or 'worse'... my mind won't stop... Because what's the point in carrying on when I feel like this and it isn't shifting....I'm sick of dealing with depression, anxiety, c-ptsd and bpd....overall, I'm sick of dealing with myself...

Grxmloid Anhedonia from herbal remedy, really struggling. TW
  • replies: 2

I have been through a devastating journey with chronic illness, and LONG story short I'd realized that a herbal supplement was worsening all that I was trying to help. Unfortunately one of these symptoms is apathy/anhedonia. I have been off the stuff... View more

I have been through a devastating journey with chronic illness, and LONG story short I'd realized that a herbal supplement was worsening all that I was trying to help. Unfortunately one of these symptoms is apathy/anhedonia. I have been off the stuff for 4 months and nearly 3 weeks now and although it's improving each week I still can't feel my emotions and am dissociative.It's not just the 4 months, I've been suffering from this and the chronic illness for nearly 2 years, so for a huge portion of my life now (I am 30 and want to be living my life) I have been unable to feel music properly, or dance, feel truly connected to nature or people. And no one understands because it's such a specific affliction. I have in the past been emotionally numb from cptsd/mental illness and zero coping skills, SSRI's to a degree, and even from illicit drugs, but this effect is not being caused by my thinking, because it is known to affect the brain, gut, hormones etc. in ways that results in this symptom for some people. I have self harmed this month. It's improved a lot but it's at the point where I'm becoming so lucid I'm really losing my patience and am very aware of how much I have missed out on in life through all this time. I still feel disconnected and am finding it hard to reconnect with friends, I don't have many close friends, and even the ones I am closer to it's sometimes still been really hard to be social. It has been and it's going to be a real effort to get back into community and taking initiative to make new friends + start nurturing friendships again. I am sick of this life, and I know I've learned a lot and I've made it this far and finally am pulling through but I feel so upset by how my life has felt like a vacuum. It's so non linear daily I keep feeling like the rug is being pulled from underneath me, ever since I self harmed a couple weeks ago I keep thinking about doing it again (I cant even drink alcohol etc, not even coffee right now). I just feel so isolated, and mentally exhausted. I don't want to lose hope and I keep wanting to self harm again. I feel at my wits end. Most of what I do is just walk, cycle, or run, and on a good week do one social thing in my small routine as I finish a short course to get work. Life just "feels" bleak at the moment. I'm so desperate

Ash_says_hi wishing I wasn't here
  • replies: 2

Hi, I'm Ash. I've been suicidal for such a long time now, it feels like forever. Every waking moment is wishing I wasn't here. The first thing my mind jumps to when anything goes remotely wrong is killing myself. I can't talk about it with anyone, my... View more

Hi, I'm Ash. I've been suicidal for such a long time now, it feels like forever. Every waking moment is wishing I wasn't here. The first thing my mind jumps to when anything goes remotely wrong is killing myself. I can't talk about it with anyone, my dad was borderline abusive so I've cut ties with him and the situation with my mother is barely better.