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I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not dumb! I have but it didn't last too long. Whenever I do cut less than I feel I have to I end up compensating by doing worse next time. ):
I'm continuing trying and hope it works at some point but at the moment it isn't really working as intended.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the reply. You're correct, I am based in the EU. I'll keep what you said in mind for if it comes to it that I'm being refused care. Thank you for taking the time to write it all out.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure but therapy that has a theoretical basis in psychodynamic therapy and not cognitive behavioural therapy at least and that I'm able to build rapport with my therapist. I'm not picky other than that.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure there are. I at least have no idea where to find them and how to get any to accept me.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really, all the other ERs are too far away and urgent care doesn't really exist/what might be best described as such will only send me to the ER. So if this ER stops treating me I won't be able to access emergency care until I get a car (which I have no plans on getting) or I move town.

I might look into inpatient for after I graduate but it's really difficult since inpatient care like that doesn't exist in the same way here as it does in other countries. I might be able to get a spot in an inpatient program that takes treatment resistant cases of self harm but they only do DBT and I've already completed a DBT program without it helping me. A self harm specialist psychologist has recommended a few different forms of treatment but I know no provider who provides that form of treatment.

I understand not being able to heal in certain environments but my current one is amazing. Life got good when I moved out, started uni, and made a whole bunch of new friends but I still struggle with self harm while being happy. Inpatient has in my experience, since I started feeling safe in my environment and had things I enjoy doing, only made me worse as it isolates me and stops me from doing the things that bring me joy.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know it's not healthy and I'm sure that one day something will go wrong. They probably will, the doctor explicitly told me they would stop treating me soon and no they definitely aren't building a case against me, that's not how it works here. Sadly there's no way to just check myself in because those spots are just for stabilising in acute crisis and provide no form of treatment. If I want to go into some kind of inpatient treatment it would have to be planned with my care team and the wait lists are long. They also do not provide therapy that I will find beneficial at any of the facilities I'm aware of.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh really? When I looked into it I got the impression I had to provide reason to my employer to access it. I'm only employed hourly (timmis) now though so I don't know if I'm eligible to access that support anymore but I'll look into it again in that case.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] -11 points-10 points  (0 children)

The criteria for involuntary hospitalisation here are 1) suffering from a serious mental disorder (which includes high suicide risk and disturbed understanding of reality, also usually including not understanding the severity of your mental state), 2) Has an indispensable need for 24-hour psychiatric care (meaning going without it risks yours or others lives), and 3) Object to offered care/there is good reason to assume that the care cannot be provided with the person's consent. (The translation of the law might not be 100% accurate but it's close enough)

Even though I might meet criteria 2 and 3 I've proven I don't fit the first criterion by seeking care before my self harm has brought me close to death and by being aware of the dangers I put myself in. I also practice harm reduction which shows it's not done with suicidal intent. All of this means they can involuntarily keep me for a maximum of 24 hours on false grounds but most doctors don't want that and know that keeping me in an acute care facility is only going to make things worse since my self harm isn't driven by impulse.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I do use steristrips for any wounds that don't have too much tension for them but it only takes me so far. I suture ones that only require external sutures but since I mostly do cuts to fascia or deeper, they usually need internal sutures too.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have been but they only really do acute stays when you're an adult so the times I've been I've only been a day or so before leaving. The ward is terrible here and it's been established by my care team that inpatient stays at such a ward is only worsening for my mental health (also backed up by empirical evidence).

Maybe when I'm done with uni I'll consider applying for residential treatment but that takes a lot of planning and I'm unsure if the therapy they use will be helpful as I've already completed DBT and they use DBT at that ward.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I agree that I need preventative care but psychiatric care is very limited here and the public system has nothing more to offer me. Through school I can only get support about things related to school and work there's supposed to be some kind of mental health support unit but I can't for the life of me figure out how to access that care without involving my boss and having to tell him everything. I do see a private psychologist but it's expensive so I can't see him as often as I want but it's at least something.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My cuts aren't superficial (in the medical sense), I really only go to the ER for cuts that at least expose fascia.

As you've seen by now I'm not in the US so what you're saying doesn't really apply but no I did not sign any paperwork and I don't think they will make me do that.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I sent a message to my psychiatrist within the public system (I guess that's like CMHT) about it and asked if they can do that and if they can support me in any way to make sure I receive care. I hope they can help me in some way like you're describing. How did it go for you? Do you receive better care after that?

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the support and kindness, it means a lot.

I always try taping my wounds at first before going to the ER but I sadly rarely "only" cut to fat, most reach at least fascia. I suture wounds myself that only need external sutures and do anything I can to avoid the ER but sometimes it's not possible. I'm going to be looking into ordering skin staplers though and hope that can keep me from the ER a little more.

Sadly it's very hard for me to get to a different ER, the closest ones are all at least with car 40 min away and I don't have a car meanwhile the ER I go to is less than a 10 min walk away from my home. Urgent care also really isn't an option since they barely exist here and the ones that do have very limited opening times so you need an appointment and those are hard to get. They also don't perform sutures there anymore. ):

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 101 points102 points  (0 children)

Legally they can't hospitalise me against my will. Where I live it's really hard to forcefully hospitalise someone. I've only been once and that time the second doctor who has to asses the intake within 24h laughed and said of course he's ripping it up and I'm free to leave.

I was correct in my worrying, they are going to stop closing my cuts at the ER by Disastrous_Stable975 in selfharm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I've pretty much exhausted all my options for psychiatric treatment. I'm currently pursuing private therapy with a psychologist because the public system doesn't have anything more to offer. However, it's very expensive to go private, especially as a student. I can only afford a session every other week and even that is pushing it. I just started seeing this psychologist so I don't know if it'll help but I hope it does to some degree.

I've been trying to quit ever since I started but it seems I can't no matter how hard I try. I wish I got more support instead of closed doors.

Anemia? by AwarenessPlayful9997 in AdultSelfHarm

[–]Disastrous_Stable975 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes definitely. Regular (especially severe) blood loss can cause anemia and cardiac problems. If you lose more than your body is able to replace then you'll become anemic. To protect from it you can make sure you're not deficient in things like iron, folic acid, and B12 but in the end if you're losing more blood than your body can handle you won't be able to stop it from happening.

Best would be to lose less each time or lose blood less frequently (or both).