or

Ask

Your

Doctor

okay mr i dont have any friends

Okay, Mr. Lexapro.
I’ll help you out. What are you being treated with it for? Depression, anxiety, or both? Does it make you feel jittery? If it does, it may take a bit to get used to or you may need to try a different medication. Obviously, if it makes you feel jittery and it’s something you don’t want for drawing, take it after. If you take it later at night it could possibly keep you up.

I personally have no experience with lexapro, but it’ll become clear what the issues are and you can treat them yourself by taking it at a different time or talk to your doctor about other treatment. Keep in mind, as it sounds like you’re inexperienced with medication for depression and anxiety, that you may feel a lot better for a week or two and then you’ll go back to how you were feeling. This happened to me a few times and I needed to change medication, but you should stay on it for at least a month to a month and a half to really know.

im taking it for high blood pressure

Okay, well, take it a prescribed unless there’s an issue. If so contact your doctor.
I just got off it after taking it for 2 years. It really didn’t help me much because I tried to kill myself three times at Christmas.

I just got switched to Abilify today. Does anyone know anything about it? Any side effects?

Google. I have no personal experience. Though, don’t stay on the same medication for two years if it isn’t working.

People with "issues" do crazy things.

yea dude im just asking if people took it in the morning or the evening….he gave me a choice…..im not retarded man, nor is anyone else in this thread…use your "common sense"

You know how to works. How am I supposed to know what you’re using it for.

And no, fuck stick. You didn’t ask if people took it in the AM or PM. You asked when you should take it.
Doesn’t matter when you take it. It’s an SSRI which needs to be built up in your system in the first place. But I would take it at the same time everyday.

It actually can matter, as SSRIs can have an energizing effect, thus keeping you up.

Google didn’t tell me much. I took the Abilify last night and slept good for the first time in a long time.

It’s a good medication for that. Melatonin 1 mg or 2mg (1 to start) works very well for most people as well for sleep.

Abilify was pretty tame if you ask me. I didn’t notice anything unusual on it.

Re: Lexapro, it’s either in the AM or PM as obvious. My doc told me that with prozac, some get a bit wired and need to take it in the AM or sleepy.. take it in the PM.

Try taking it on a Saturday AM or any other non-work day and if it makes you sleepy, that’s your answer.

A doctor just gave me abilify today and I’m terrified because now I think I’m crazy.

An Abilify is used for a lot of different things.

i just started abilify and sleep like shit, even if i take a temazepam (30mg) or a 2mg xanax. i always wake up at set times. tho i was just recently off of geodon, and that causes sleep problems when you go off of it.

Yeah, unfortunately everyone is so individual that some of these things just don’t work. Try Ativan or Melatonin if you’ve already done Lunesta, Ambien, Sonta, etc — all those.

A lot of different types of crazy.

It’s not used only for psychiatric problems.

don’t sweat it, ability is REALLY good stuff… really good.
What makes abilify really good stuff?

What else is it used for besides schizophrenia and bipolar mood modulation?

Just because it’s good stuff doesn’t mean I’m fine.
Lexapro did practically nothing for my social anxiety. my doctor just switched me to Cymbalta
Depression, Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, Sleep Disorder, Obessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress, Dementia and Alzheimers, as well as disorders which cause abnormalities of perception, such as depersonalization. It has many uses given it’s an atypical antipsychotic. Don’t let the word "psychotic" trick you into believing it’s used on "psychos." It has nothing to do with "crazy." It also has value in cases of Parkinson’s.

It doesn’t mean these should be treated with Abilify. Many are off-label uses, but clinical experience has shown many of these to be useful.
so i turn 21 next month, is it okay to drink with lexapro…..

Call our doctor to confirm.

Generally, no… but I’ve done it on prozac and a load of other shit and lived to tell about it.

Thanks for the list, I was unaware of some of these.

I still can’t get over the stigma of being on a drug that helps what were termed "crazy" people fifty years ago. I know the sophistication in understanding different conditions has increased greatly, but even when I was a kid (20 years ago) there wasn’t a wide spread understanding and tolerance of these people. At least not in the circles I grew up in.

And now to be experiencing many of the symptoms of the conditions from the above list…quite a blow to my ego. I thought I was healthy and smart and strong. Now I see there is something wrong with my brain/body beyond the superficial or the easily curable and it’s kicking my ego-ass.
herbolove.com

Superior to antidepressants.

All natural. No side effects.

Also, to come off of drugs:

theroadback.org

Prescription mood drugs = brain damage. Taper off of them slowly and take mood max + exercise instead.

Abilify was only approved 5 years ago and released to the public.

There still isn’t much understanding today, but today we understand the biological implications as the process behind most of the conditions that treat these diseases.

The biggest obstacle for patients has always been social isolation, with family frowning upon the patients condition, or a lack of understanding.

I suffer from an actual infectious disease which is surprisingly looked at in the same way.

I thought the same thing, I thought I was invincible as a kid, then reality struck and I became ill. The truth is, you do whatever it takes to survive, and using the environment in all it’s methods — whether technology, whether advances in medications, whatever — use all tools in order to survive.

That "is" smart, that is also strong compared to someone who abandons that concept and ends their life before allowing the use of external tools.

If you’re leg is broken, you use a cast. If you’re wounded badly, you suture the wound, if you’re suffering a lack of sunlight and experiencing debilitating depression, we use artifical sunlight. If you suffer a psychiatric condition caused by either biological, genetic, or psychological factors, we try to reduce or solve the problem using medication, psychotherapy (or other types of therapeutic intervention).

Smart people use whatever means are necessary, and the strongest are usually not necessarily the most fit, but the most adaptable. So adapt…..

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arguement for psychologist- i feel like more than anything i need to talk to someone, there has never been anyone in my life who i felt comfortable with expressing my true emotions and feelings. being that my family has a history of depression on both sides, i was tempted to see a psychiatrist, get medication and be done with it. but i also believe things like this can’t be solved by taking a pill.

arguement for psychiatrist- on the other hand, earlier this year i went to the doctor and got a prescription for adderall. i used it everyday for a few months, and then just stopped taking it. i rarely use it now; i feel like adderall helped me learn how to really focus on a certain task. i was thinking maybe i could do the same thing with different meds, teach myself how to be upbeat and happy and wane myself off the meds.

does anyone share my feelings or have advice?
Psychiatrist. They can help you sort out your issues and also give you meds if they think it will help. I don’t know you so I’m not sure if the one before was right in prescribing you adderall…but I’d say find a new psychiatrist and see what they have to say about your depression.

Most people here in the Asylum can tell you from experience you have to try out therapists a few times until you find one that you like that seems to understand you and communicate in a way you prefer.
Start with a psychologist. If things don’t go well for you there, then move to a psychiatrist. A lot of anti-depression meds have bad side effects and long term effects that you don’t want to be with you, then again: depression is the worst long term side effect.

See if you can work it out by talking it out and approaching it yourself. Then decide if you need 3rd party help.
I’d go with the therapist. Behavioural and cognitive therapists can really help you get your thoughts under your own control. Its much more satisfying to get those things down on your own. The effects are also longer lasting because the skills they can teach you will be applicable for the rest of your life.

The chemical side of things can be much more cheaply (and IMO more effectively, with less side effects) done with better diet and excersize. Odds are the therapist will point you towards a psychiatrist to get meds anyway though.

If you can only choose one, talking to a trained CBT professional is much more productive in the long run than brooding over things on your own while hopped up on meds. The meds won’t change your way of thinking, they *might* simply improve your mood so your thoughts won’t affect you so much, but the thought processes that help lead to depression remain basically the same. I have done both CBT and meds, and I would highly recommend CBT but am very strongy against any mood altering drugs unless you are so far gone you can’t even make your CBT appointments.
See a psychologist first, he/she can better determine if medication is what is needed.

I don’t know if this changes your response at all, but i have lost ~80 lbs over the past 15 months. i feel sometimes the only thing keeping me sane is me striving to be fit.

Whats kinda excersize do you do and whats your diet like? If you’re losing weight from not eating enough thats not necessarily good either.
Agreed with the above. For the vast majority of people a psychologist or even a really good therapist with just a bachelors is enough. Most people don’t need the medication they are given and just need to rewire thier thinking or come to an understanding.

I know 2 psychiatrists pretty well and both would be superior I think if you had a medical condition that is more clinical in nature if that makes sense (Schizophrenia). What they lack is the people skills that I’ve seen in some psychologists and social workers. I chalk it up to different training, they are basically medical doctors.
Always see a psychologist first. If you can get over your issues just by communicating with another person and strengthening yourself without having to resort to meds, it is preferred.

If the psychologist thinks you won’t be able to do just that for whatever reason, they will point you in the direction to a good psychiatrist.

Start with the lesser option first and work towards more serious things if needed.
Do both. They work best in combination. Considering your depression is "pretty bad", there is no reason you should not treat the symptoms while also going after the root cause. Use RateMD.com to find a high quality psychiatrist. They’ll only treat you if they think you need it based on the clinical and objective presentations they observe through testing and or conversation. A good one won’t just throw meds at you, so do your homework by finding a few names and then looking them up on google.

Do the same for the Psychologist, or Social Worker. If you need further information, just ask.
^ Agreed. Both do different things, handle and treat different parts of depreession.
You must always try the psychological approach first. Never, ever take a pill unless your brain simply doesn’t work right. If you can learn to think differently, then that is what you should do.

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The doctor doesn’t really know what the right dose is for you. You have to figure that out for yourself, because only you know when you’re heading downhill and you need to take it again. If one pill a day makes you feel jittery or overly excitable, get a pill cutter and cut them in half. Play with it, carefully, until you find the right amount to get you to where you’re stable. You don’t have to be happy all the damn time, just stable. And if cutting the dose causes problems, go back up again.
lamictal is a very strong medicine – it’s used to prevent seizures also

my son has epilepsy and his medicine controls his seizures with virtually no side effects or contraindications – and his is strong stuff

lamictal is one that they try when the lesser ones don’t work and it can have a lot of side effects (plus it’s really expensive, right?) all worth it if you’re seizing all the time though

these people are taking it for a different reason but if you check out the forums at epilepsy.com (lousy UI, but the info is there) you’ll find a lot of people who use this medication

good luck
Yeah, for a while. Got a slight rash at the start which went away. Your Doc should have told you about the rash, takes a little while to kill but it gets there soon enough.

I can’t remember exactly how much I was on but I was also on Depakote so there needed to be a dose adjustment. Something to do with screwing with the half life I think.

so 200mg on Depakote = 400mg Normal.

I maxed out at 200mg.

Didn’t get a damn thing from it.

I kinda like this site for info on drugs, good starting point.

lets see..ive now been taking
it for nearly 1 year. It has certainly made my life alot more bareable!
I got it in December, went up to a dose of 150mg, which was far too high for me so I stopped taking it. I just recently restarted it and am taking 25mg, which seems to help my mood swings enough.
Even 100mg made me feel numb, though, but I don’t know how it would effect others.
I take 150mg a day along with an snri. I’m bipolar and the lamictal makes things much bearable despite being kinda numb. I was on depakote before and it had horrible side effects and required blood tests.
I just started taking it (today’s day 3 for me) so I’m still on the build up phase just taking 25mg a day. In 2 weeks I’ll be on 50mg a day and then 2 weeks after that 100mg a day. Then they’ll begin to see what dosage is right for me.

I’m taking it strictly for bi-polarism btw. I’m new to this as well and definitely haven’t been taking it long enough to notice it yet. I hope for the best.

It has a very good success rate and low side effects, so it is my doctor’s favorite mood stabilizer, she said, because of this.

and the information on that website is wrong. I’ve never been on any medication for my bi-polar disorder and am starting out with lamictal.

another misleading ‘informative’ drug site…

Yep everything that site says is the total opposite of my experience.

Can you ask her how long it took until she reached stability. Or if she has AIM and can talk that would be cool.

AIM – PaulieWalnuts447

Tried to send you a PM, your box is full.

Yeah it makes me kind of numb too, I want to cry but cant. I guess thats better than freaking.

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We’re at a loss of what to do, because my mom is the one who takes care of him. I think I might take family leave off of work soon.

thoughts on managing this?
There’s not much you can do besides hope his therapy/medication works out.

You have to detach yourself as much as you can from the situation if it’s taking a personal toll on you. This isn’t something you can solve on your own, if he’s starting to go off the deep end, looking at people who love him as threats, and obsessing over miniscule things (germs), that’s a sign he needs professional help. You can be there for him if it doesn’t bring your life down, but if it does, detach for awhile and hope the best for him.
He needs some inpatient therapy, not sure where though.

Most Hospitals have an in-patient Mental Health Unit. There’s at least one Hospital per County (in my experiences) that have a MHU right there. This sounds like the place that your Dad needs to be. They need to see the behaviors and just how bad it is for themselves, so that they can adjust his medications accordingly. He should probably be there until the medication situation is under control.

Good luck.
my 17 year old roommate, who’s basically like my little sister since their family pretty much adopted me, has schizophrenia. her older sister and i are her support system, and for about a year we dealt silently with her psychotic breaks, moodswings, habits, and the voices. she ended up in the emergency room after having a psychotic break at school, and as at the time her sister and i were her temp legal guardians, we had to deal with the situation. we moved her back home, got her into therapy and on medication, and she’s doing miles better.
My aunt was bipolar, but bipolar to the point where she went completely insane. When she was manic, she’d run around the house urinating on everything, and she’d throw things everywhere and move furniture — her house was a mess of piss-covered junk when everybody finally found out. When she was depressed, she’d attempt suicide. She ended up having to be put in a home, and died eventually because she would refuse to eat or get up at all (her meds took away the manic but so much the depressive part)…

It worries me, because I exhibit all the signs of a bipolar person and my doctor has expressed that he thinks I am. I’m resistant to all anti-depressant medications I’ve ever tried (and I am still having withdrawals from SSRIs years after qutting them. Brain zaps anybody?). I get completely hopeless and depressed at times and won’t get out of bed for days and then other times I run around like a crazy person happy and doing things and catching up. I don’t want to end up like my great-aunt. But I certainly feel like her. So far, I don’t have many unreasonable thoughts or weird paranoias (after the years I’ve grown extremely capable of keeping reasoning and logic and it’s saved my life). On that same note, though, I’m incredibly anti-social and have no desire whatsoever for any real-life human interaction. I isolate myself from my family by living 3000 miles away and we don’t really talk a lot. So I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy like her. It really wouldn’t come as a surprise at this point.

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Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Well no experience but on this page there seems to be people who posted their stories about it.
I’ve looked up quite a bit so far but personal experiences from those with it, or have dealt with it was more or less what I was looking for.

Thanks.
Schizophrenia is something I’m very interested in, do a lot of research on and have a bit of experience with (not personally) so I might be able to help you out with some questions you have.

I have two family members who are paranoid schizophrenic. PM me is you would like to chat, as I won’t talk about them on open board.

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Get back and at about 10am I sk the guys goibng to the shop to get some beers, flash the wallet with a million Ruppees notes (back from iNDIA), dude gets about 18.

I crash oiut Ii’m 5 foot ten other dudes 6 foot 4, hge’s smaking mr with a full biottle of beer. The other guy 44 who we can call Simon is punching me.

Had to make my excuses to go to the toilet, locked the door to try to get out of the window. Simon breaks down the door and I had no choice but to go for him qwith a bit of broken mirror…..bounced after that.

Sorry, noi aspell checker here, no lightts and it’s about 35C AND 95 hUMIDITY,

I was also thinking something along those lines
uh.. wow, wtf?

you killed someone with a mirror in russia on new year’s day?
I hope this is trolling, regardless should probably be deleted.

so if someone is truly and genuinely disturbed. not just that "i have ennuis" bullshit we all suffer from once in a blue week. we prolly don’t close their thread

What he typed is completely non sensical, and if he’s serious, he just admitted to stabbing a guy in the face with a piece of a broken mirror.

I’m just thinking it’s trolling, personally, hell idk.
This is the guy who says he has schizophrenia, just so you all know.
maybe this thread was describing a flashback of his then, I don’t know (just saw the disorders he listed in the father thread). Either way, hopefully all is well and he can either explain, or this thread’ll just go to the bottom.

And he was last trapped in India, trying to get new meds from the docs in the UK.

Ohhh.. Makes sense now.

Poor guy.

No, I went back to a party, woke up on a chair with one guy bouncing a bottle of bud off my head and another smacking me off the face.

I had just traveled for 40 odd hours and had been drunk at new years.

I I was told to give them my money, I say ok, just let me use the toilet. I get in, lock the shitty little snib and look to escape from the window.

No chance, two stories up, no foot holds, I jump I get screwed.

Now this fuck wkwhit, lets call him Simon had a gf who broke a mirror in the bathroom. He must have tossed everything into the bath. I pick two pieces up.

He breaks down the door, I show him what I have, He goes for me. I take a swipe and cut his neck.

Fuck him.

After that one piece had flown and I ran after the guy to get a good quick way out.

It was a council Estate so, all looks the same. I had to stay at the same door for a few minutes for emergency services…….cool but Forensics went in.

Other way around I thought?

Last I thought it was meant to be a forum for people to have their personal problems taken seriously.

Well done in turning things upside down to suit your own silly comments.

This is not a flashback. I worry when it will it will play in my head 5-6 times or whatever an hour.
is this a joke mod edit; nope it isn’t , it just needs a more clear explanation from the op
Work hard to get your life back on track. Don’t use any alcohol anymore, and try to rebuild your life. From what i last remember you went with your dad to the psychiater in order to talk about your mental problems.

What you clearly need to distinct is those things which are benefitial for you, and those things that only bring you down the drain, and steer away from those.

Killing is an absolute no,same counts for torture because if you look at the overal picture it only makes things worse. You, especially you should not make your life worse now then it already is. You’ve got enough problems you need to tackle together with a therapist one by one, and change your life dramatically into a positive constructive world.

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The possibilites seem to be (in my mind):
1.) attention
2.) self loathing
3.) Peer pressure/acceptance
4.) omgwtfbbq

She lives with her mom in Texas and I see her at spring break, christmas and summer. During spring break, she had a few slits on one wrist. Her mom knows about it but hasn’t gotten serious about counseling or anything.

Is cutting something that is in vogue? My daughter claims she is the only one in her school doing it and she isn’t looking for attention.

Fuck man, she is my baby, it kills me to see her deface herself like this.

She needs to talk to someone about that. Counseling or peers, whatever it is she needs some form of help. This is not normal behavior.
Dunno what to tell you man, I think slitting your wrists is very serious, and should be handled properly. I don’t see how one justifies doing it without there being something seriously wrong. I don’t think the fact that she is young is a good enough reason to accept her doing something like this. (peer pressure, attn, etc)
If I were you, I’d be doing something to figure out why she’s doing it, and stop it. It is NOT normal.

She doesn’t claim to be suicidal, just emo. Somehow she thinks cutting is a type of release.

I hope a parent of an emo kid shows up here.

So…..she will be here on May 31st (and staying for almost 2 months). I should set up a weekly meeting with a psychologist for while she is here?

She talks about it like it is just no big deal at all. It is so fucking weird. I would love to know who put these fucked up ideas in her head.
Self cutting is actually fairly common, my girlfriend used to do it. She cant really explain why, she wasnt trying to kill herself or looking for attention or anything. Like you said, some kind of release.

This idea was put in these people’s head though. Because when I was a kid, no one did this shit. They found other ways to release their pent up emotions.
look up "self-injury" on wikipedia. this behavior is not the problem itself but a symptom of emotional problems/distress. it should be taken seriously. according to my understanding, this is less about suicide and more about releasing tension and frustration.

i don’t think you can really support the claim that no one did that when you were young…

Let me rephrase. "Cutting" seemed expotentially less prevalent amongst the teenagers 20 years ago in my estimation.

will do.
I always wonder why one would slit their wrists to release the tension when they can just get off and not have any permanent damage. Doesn’t it suit the same goal?

When you say "get off" you mean masturbate or have sex?

I don’t know about that. I just don’t think it was known about or accepted. I have spoken to quite a few counselors about this (good friend and nephew were both doing this) and one of the major reason given for this was that the ‘child’ felt helpless. Voiceless. Not in control and unable to deal with or express that.

I would recommend counseling. I know a lot of people think of that as a bad word, or admitting a weakness or whatever… but it will truly help this girl deal with whatever it is that she is going through.

Masturbation would be the most likely substitute. I mean, what’s the point of cutting yourself for some "release" of tension when you can fill your brain with endorphins repeatedly without any scars?

I don’t think they are looking for endorphins.

cutting is bad enough, but she is playing with fire on the wrists.

Thighs or something if she has to cut. I know that’s not a real solution, but it could easily save her life.

Check this site out and follow some/all of the suggestions/advice given:

This "cutting" seems to be the physical embodiment of a child that is discontent with the world around them/their place in it and is often attributable to a broken home/disrupted family life.

She’s your child, talk to her and encourage her to talk to you. Just be ready for anything that she might have to say, and I do mean anything, and don’t discriminate or express distaste with whatever she has to say…, remember, she’s internalizing her inability to find anyone in her world to discuss her problems with, the conflicts and contradictions she sees in the world unfolding around her, and allow her to vent without passing judgement on anything that she’ll have to say.

She wants/needs to be listened to and to know that what she has to say counts for something. Essentially, just be her Dad.
If it’s a way to release tension… maybe she could find other ways to release tension.

Playing sports?
Taking Karate/boxing/whatever classes?
Something exhausting is always the best imo.
It releases the built up tension from not dealing with her emotions. There is something that is causing her so much pain, that she doesn’t know how to deal with it. Another cause may be that she just feels numb, and does it just to feel anything; even though it’s pain. Cutting is a very serious problem and requires counseling. She needs to talk about whatever her pain is and feel the emotions, only then will she be able to find a better way to release her tension.

IMO it’s not weird for her to talk about it like it’s no big deal, she’s crying out for help. You can minimize this and think it’s strange but you’re likely to wake up to a dead child. Minimize this at your own risk.

If I were in your shoes, I would have a long talk with her mother and get my daughter into long term counseling and perhaps in house therapy.

Cutting oneself isn’t normal, it’s a sign that things are really wrong but the person doesn’t know how to deal. Get them help dealing.

Good luck and God Bless.

You know one person that did this so obviously it’s fairly common?

Get a grip….it’s not healthy nor is it all that common. It is however, a sign that things are really wrong.
In the past month of college I’ve met 2 girl who told me that they cut themselves. Both of them gave me an almost identical reason in that when they cut they feel like their problems are being relieved. In my opinion one of them has serious mental issues and there’s nothing I can do to help her. But the other girl is much more reasonable and hopefully I’ll be able to talk to her and find out another way she can go about relieving stress. They both make sure to put the cuts in places that people won’t see. Both admit that they started cutting on their arms until their parents found out then they started putting the cuts in places not visible with clothes on. So I suggest that you don’t hound your daughter about cutting herself or she’ll probably just put them in places you can’t see and just tell you she stopped.

I lol-ed.
The fact that her mom isn’t doing anything about it will possibly make things worse.

In my experience people cut when they are trying to feel something, anything. Something is going on.. Since she isn’t trying to hide it 100% then she is consciously or not asking for help. She needs to talk to someone.
Want me to show her how to rip her toenails out instead? It’s less visible and more satisfying.

I knew a kid that did that when I lived in Canada.. He did it to his fingernails too and would then color the skin black.

It always creeped me out but I felt bad for the guy too. That shit looked like it HURT.

13

I wish she would too. When she is at my house it is non stop sports, but that culture doesn’t exist at her mom’s house in Texas, where she is most of the time.

She says her life there is hell and all she wants is to come to my house. She has never cut herself while at my house.
like others have said, get her some help. if she is openly telling you and her mother about this, its a cry for help. she may not be trying to kill herself, but the location of the cutting might lead to that very thing accidently.

hopefully if she is willing to tell you that she is doing this, she will be willing to go speak with someone about issues that might be causing it.

and give her love and support (which you probably do anyway). it worries me that her mom doesnt seem very concerned. it very well could be for attention if the mom barely notices

The mom took her to a counselor like once or twice. She is a single mom who has alienated her relatives and has 3 kids. So it is likely logistically difficult for her to get my daughter to counseling.

I think based on what you guys have said here, I will arrange for her to see a counselor while she is here for the summer. It is the best I can do I think.

i think it is somewhat normal behavior but is not healthy behavior
People cut because physical pain > emotional pain. Its a form of stress release for those daily life problems that won’t go away, or in other words your daughter is depressed about her daily life problems,

Its a situation like this , if someone called you an asshole, you’d brush it away as the person isn’t worth your time listening to, that’s the normal way people would deal with it.

If someone would call your daughter a bitch on the other hand, she’d get angered and frustrated, and because she can’t place or redirect the negativity in a good way , she’d get emotionally stressed, and to down that emotional stress, she would start cutting herself in an attempt to release some emotional steam.

Its worthless of course , its like people drinking booze wanting to make their problem go away but it doesn’t work, because cutting,drinking,anti-depressants etc etc are problem supressors and NOT problem solvers.

She needs to work on the root of the problem, and definitly needs to see a psychologist, and you also need to convince her to coooperate with the psychologist in order to tackle her mental problems.

Input = output

If the surroundings are fucked up, then she gets fucked up. Your little girl is like a sponge absorbing all the negativity in her life without knowing how to deal with it, she’d better learn fast on how to defend herself, and how to release her emotions instead of making it a murder hole and start cutting.

Speed is of the essense , the faster you work on it, the more likely she’ll recover. Removing the depressing factors, and stabilizing her enviroment as wel as strenghtening her self image, are important.

I say it always like this. Imagine if you are stuck in a room, what helps better, crying and cutting or a key to get out? Make sure your daughter gets help, and works on finding the key to unlock the door of her problems, tackle the root not the symptoms.

a model citizen as always you toenail ripping tent dweller
Dude, you are not equipped to deal with this. Get her to counseling.
I’d love to give advice, but just reading the thread alone makes the hair on my body stand.

Good luck, man.
I know this is a serious thread, and I agree that you should definitely take this seriously and seek professional help for her and talk to her yourself first but ummm LMFAO @ this….

I believe that seeking professional help for your child is necessary. Self-mutilation can be steamed from numerous things, including depression, anger, self-loathing, family problems, etc.

I’ll reply with more of something that might be able to help you through PM.

I came to post just this.

There are several reasons why people self injure. Some people do it because they claim they feel emotionally numb or dead inside. When they physically hurt themselves, they feel physical pain. While its not the same as emotional pain, it is still a feeling. People who engage in self injury for this reason claim to feel alive while they hurting themselves. To them, any sensation is better than no sensation at all.

Some people use self injury as a form of self punishment. They feel worthless or useless and as punishment for who they are, the self injure. Statistically, people who self injure as form of punishment also have other addictions like sexual, drug or eating disorders.

Some people use it as a way to manifest their emotional pain into physical pain. People who engage in self injury for this reason are not able to express or manage the emotional pain they feel. For someone who has maladaptive coping skills, emotional pain becomes extremely distressing. Knowing that emotional pain tends to last longer and hurt more than physical pain, they change their pain from something they don’t understand to something they can effectively manage. For them, a broken arm is better than a broken heart.

Get your daughter in therapy. Find a doctor (PhD or PsyD, it doesn’t matter which) who is skilled in working with both young girls and self injury. Their experience is key. Ideally, they should use a humanistic approach (commonly known as client-centered therapy) and if they claim to have an eclectic approach, be skeptical and check their credentials. Meet with the doctor first. Interview the doctor way you interviewed her pediatrician when she was an infant.

Hug your daughter. Talk to her. Don’t be angry or upset when she reveals some shocking and painful information, because she most likely will. Communicate communicate communicate. Don’t be afraid to ask your daughter questions. Too many times parents side step serious issues like this because they are afraid that talking about it will only propel the child further. That’s not true. She wants to be heard and understood so give her your time and attention. Talk to her and show her how to effectively manage her emotions. Other people have suggested physical activity and that’s a super great idea.

Its so unfortunate that her mother is acting so blase, regardless of how she really feels. Way to step up for your daughter. You’re a good dad Good luck and Godspeed to you both My thoughts and prayers are with you both

If this is true then you might want to talk to an attorney about getting primary custody of your daughter. There might be many things she’s not telling you about what goes on when she’s living with her mom.

Regardless, my heart goes out to you and your daughter. I’ll keep you both in my prayers and I hope you find her the help she needs. Please don’t minimize her actions because she talks about them in casual ways. It’s good that she feels comfortable enough with you to tell you those things but her actions are an indication that things are not going well in her life….in fact, it’s an indication that things are very wrong.

Good luck and God Bless.
^^ Listen to this one. He’s right and he gives good advice.

About 10% of the population from what I can find. It is a sign that something is wrong, she doesn’t see it that way because it relieves whatever stress or lack of emotion she is dealing with.

Sports or some other form of ‘release’ may not satisfy whatever she is looking for. I would be wary to assume that she never cut herself while at your place. I am sure you are a great father and that somehow if she did cut herself at your place, it would be your fault. You cannot think that way, that will make it worse, make her go into hiding with it so that you don’t feel responsible for her actions.

10% is no where near "fairly common". That’s actually quite rare.
This is a post I made a few years ago. I repost it every now and then when the topic arises. I think you’ll find my words useful.

Yeah I’m interested too

wow. im 20 and ive never had the balls to actually slit them. pretty pathetic considering how miserable and fucked up i am

Nope it just shows that your body is functioning fine, i personally extremely dislike pain most likely just like others, i wouldn’t add additional pain to my already painfull life by doing stuff like that, as i don’t like to get hurt.
She is NOT going to look at you and say, ‘This is a suicide attempt.’.
Then again, if she does ever say that you need to take it seriously.

She needs help. Good talk therapy. Get her Mother on the horn and find out why Mom isn’t taking it seriously.
Ummm, I know how she feels…when I was in highschool(it’s not easy at all for girls developing and we get NO breaks from peer pressure, friends, life, etc, etc..) I also cut myself. It does help in a weird way…I am NOT saying that it is alright nor should she be left alone about it BUT I know how the kid feels, it releases an emotional pain you can’t deal with…and it’s usually b/c they are depressed (i was for years). You get this build up of multiple emotions(usually anger, sadness, insecurities) and the only way to sort them in that state of mind is to physically hurt yourself…it gives a temporary sense of relief, TEMPORARY that being it usually gets to that spot again where you have to do it again…and again and even years down the road

INTERVENE!!! I finally had to breakdown and go on depression medicine and get help from an outside source to help me deal.

For your kids sake (she may be upset with you for getting involved) but in the long run it’s for the best and for her health, happiness and safety!

That’s why she does it. The feelings are unbearable, she can’t express them or tolerate them, cutting is a way of coping as it releases the feelings.

It is an expression of feelings that can’t be verbalised, a physical distraction from the physical sensations of anxiety which are frightening and unpleasant. There is also a release of hormones that helps calm the distress.

She needs help to learn to verbalise her feelings and find healthier ways of coping with distress. Do not give her web links, self harming is common and contact with others via online forums can make things worse due to peer pressure. Do not stop her cutting, it is the only way she has of coping, but get her help to minimise harm until she can stop.

Most kids out grow this habit, meanwhile, other than therapy, lots of cuddles and understanding will go a long way.
My ex had had wrist marks… Turns out she cut herself when she was younger, kinda like a release, she said it started with her parents divorce… She didn’t do it anymore when i was datin her

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I do. I have a ridiculously unhealthy obsession with Mr. Jim Morrison. I’ve always known that I have the same hair texture as him and now that my hair is a tad shorter it looks JUST like his except my hair is red. I’m making fashion choices in order to CHANNEL Jim Morrison now.

I’ve always attempted to channel him before by playing his music religiously on my piano…but now it’s ever better. I’m going to take pictures imitating his signature pictures (No I won’t do the topless thing haha, but I will do that pose).

I have been considering getting a tattoo in homage to him as well. It’s a lizard with a crown and on the lizards belly is jim’s portrait. (it’s a very small tattoo, not as huge as it sounds).

I carry a purse with his face on it for god’s sake.

I stole a book of his poetry from the library.

I hate his girlfriend for having his love.

I have an UNHEALTHY obsession.
I think that there is a little bit of Jim in me so I know how you feel about Jim.
So you’re the Jim Morrison lookalike I saw on the T today

But seriously, I think I have an unhealthy obsession of ramen noodles. The sodium will probably kill me someday.
Oh god ramen noodles. I could live off of them :$. Sadly I didn’t go on the T today…sorry.

What flavor ramen do you eat? I’m a chicken type o person. Do you eat it with the broth or do you drain the noodles?
It sounds silly but I have an unhealthy obsession with contained beverages. I have to have someone drink out of the container before I can. If no one is around to do so, I kind of panic.

Oh, yeah, it has to be the chicken. I drain about 95% of the broth, which allows each noodle to be appropriately bathed in the broth which allows for maximum spreading of the seasoning.

I got it down to a science, sadly.
Atlantic I think I love you hahahaha. I eat it with all the broth, but hey!
Innuendos aren’t le cute. ALL the lush sodium-filled broth.

I have a sort of reverse disorder; I am nearly compelled to drink any beverage I see. Can of soda on my kitchen counter? That’s getting drunk. Lukewarm coffee sitting out in a public area? Hey, they’re not coming back for it! Bottle of Gatorade, half finished, sitting outside? It’s probably not THAT infected.

I just have a problem in general with taking free things, and I count things sitting out in public as "free"… I could probably get pretty sick, I suppose.

Ergh..You could probably get really sick from that dear.
I lose sleep thinking about the possibility that my Miata will overheat on the track when I get the build completed with all the parts that are in my garage.

I hate CAR nightmares A few weeks before my Neon died for a final time (it blew 2 motors on me) I had a dream that I was driving along when the oil light came on, and then the car lost power and silently died in the middle of the road. I woke up startled and ended up waking up my husband in the process. He told me I think/worry about the car too much. Well sure enough 3 weeks later it really did happen…in the middle of rush hour traffic . The only difference between the dream and the real thing was in the dream it happened at night, after sundown

As for my obsessions, I don’t think I have any that are considered unhealthy, but I have been losing sleep lately over thinking about life and where I am going. the last month or so I’ve been REALLY sick of my everyday routine….go to work, come home, pay bills, clean, rinse, repeat. Some days I wonder if there’s anything else to look forward to from here on out. Unfortunately due to things like house and car payments, just taking off and randomly going somewhere exotic is out of the question. We do have a side business that is growing slowly but surely, and I am hoping that may someday be our ticket to NOT having to work for others someday I guess I am just being grumpy because I have been burning the candle at both ends for many months and just want to go away on an adventure somewhere. But no, I am not gonna charge such a thing to a credit card for the hell of it.
Anyone with obsessions in this thread, have you ever researched OCD? It doesnt always manifest in the "normal" way. Counting, hand washing, cleaning, etc.

An OCD related obsession is any obsession that takes over your lilfe to the point where it is hard to get other things done AND you realize that the obsession is pointless/meaningless/silly. The latter is the biggest difference between OCD and various types of schizophrenia.

If you feel like your obsessions are causing problems in everyday life, talk to your doctor.

I have OCD, it manifests in various ways, and those ways change at times. Anyone can PM or IM me if they would like to take about it.

Thats some crazy OCD right there…..Do you do this around your firends and co-workers? Are they aware of the problem?

one of my weird paranoias is a fear of water, unless im using it to clean with.

Fucking

Im afraid my boost gauge is going to drop to 0 in the middle of a 5th to 6th (..

Nothing seriously obsessive, though…

That’s a pretty awesome obsession. Wish I could say the same.

Better than a coke addiction I guess.

i’m obsessed with a movie… i used to watch it like 3 times a day, every day… even though i dont watch it anymore i still think about it a lot and no not saying what movie it was

When I was young, starting from when I was about 4 I had an obession with horses. When I was in grade school I got in trouble for drawing horses all over my school work, reports, even my textbooks When I was 9 my parents made a deal with me – they’d send me for riding lessons if I could leave the horses off my school stuff. Then they bought me The Black Stallion on VHS. I used to watch it 2-3x a day on school breaks and at least 3-4 a week at all other times. When the tape finally died after 2 years they didn’t replace it I still think about horses all the time and hope to have them in my life again when money allows. At least now it’s limited to fleeting thoughts once every few weeks rather than a constant thing.

It’s not that I feel compelled to drink, it’s that I find it a cheerful and welcome thought to see it. Like finding a thing of OJ in your fridge you had forgotten was there. It’s like "Oh, hey, free Gatorade! YES!"

And yeah, the more observant of them have seen/caught me:

"Is… Is that my coffee?"
"Yeah, yeah I guess it is. Sorry, thought you were done."
"I was…"
"…"
"…"

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Have you been having hallucinations, catatonic behavior, delusions, or very disorganized behavior? If you have you might have schizophrenia…go see a psychiatrist ASAP.

Go see a doctor anyways to see if you have ADD or something for this losing focus thing.
Have you been working at job that you liked and/or challenged you?

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I know Wikipedia isn’t the most credible source of information and I know I shouldn’t google diagnose myself, but I found this as a symptom.

"Thought Disorder. It describes a persistent underlying disturbance to conscious thought and is classified largely by its effects on and . Affected persons may show pressure of speech (speaking incessantly and quickly), derailment or flight of ideas (switching topic mid-sentence or inappropriately), thought blocking, , , or ” when individual words may be intact but speech is incoherent."

Now normally this wouldn’t have bugged me, but lately people have been asking if English is my first language. I don’t know if it’s the way I type or what. This is also a symptom of Aspergers syndrome. I guess I could worry about every little detail in my life or just live it. I’ve never had any hallucinations, well at least none that I didn’t induce. I am probably overreacting, I consider myself "normal", but it still scares me.

Edit: I just re-read my own post and what the fuck LOL.

Talking to your doctor about your concerns would be a good idea. Also have a close friend or family member know about your concerns so they can help keep an eye on if you display schizophrenic traits. College age (18-25) is when schizophrenia develops.

Thanks for the post and link. I know that genes can skip a generation or traits like Alzheimer isn’t always passed on even if both parents have it. I’m 25 this year so I guess maybe I’m out of the loop, but who knows. I worry, but I know I shouldn’t and I will talk to my doc and friends.

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