this hasn't been mentioned in a while but it's really getting to me again. literally every time i come in to read this thread almost every post is about self-harm. half the time i don't even see why it had to be mentioned. i understand this thread is a vent for a lot of people but i'm not sure how helpful it is to anyone trying to stop self harming to come into this thread and read all about self harm, all the time.
actually, a hilarious side note. when i mentioned borderline personality disorder as one of the diagnoses another doctor (nurse? you never know tbh) suggested to the consultant, the consultant immediately went, "oh?", glanced at my arm (long sleeves, biatch) and asked me about self harm. dumb ****. i have no real desire to either self harm or for the most part take drugs now that my mood is stable (well, was, bit depressed again atm) and i have things to do and yet if you EVER do EITHER it's taken as part of your personality rather than as a result of hypomanic impulsivity and/or not giving a **** about the consequences (due to either end of the mood spectrum), or due to the fact that you're having trouble coping with your life because your MOOD DISORDER is ****ing it up. HELLO.
I don't understand how so many people could miss the most obvious fact which is that an illness will have effects on what you do and how you feel even when you are not directly in the grip of that illness, especially if you don't realise you're ill.
and, actually, especially wrt drugs, if you're mentally ill and happen to be a drug user, it doesn't even have to be the case that the two are always related. unless you're a psychiatrist, in which case they ALWAYS ARE!!! without exception. if you have a mental illness and have ever used drugs... well... god help you frankly.