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Jan 21, 2013, 05:46 PM
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Today I was meeting a 'friend' of mine – he's a member of the same organization as me – in the food court of a mall. Needless to say, he didn't show, but that's not really his fault – he has memory issues due do a combination of his own PTSD, medication, and his age. Unfortunately, I don't have a mobile phone, therefore he wasn't able to contact me after he realized he was supposed to meet me. Anyhow, this isn't really the point, but some background information.
As I was returning to my seat from the trash, I noticed that a lady sitting at a table with a male companion had pulled down her sleeve enough to show him her slashed wrist, which looked like it was done recently  .
I went back to my seat a distance away and watched them interact. Her male companion seemed really concerned for her, and it looked like he was having a serious talk about her SI, like scolding her for hurting herself in a loving sort of way.
As I observed them I couldn't help but think I should help her? I have had issues with SI for many, many years, and I hated to know that there was someone else relatively near me who was struggling with it herself. I felt like I should do something. Perhaps knowing that someone else across the room with totally scarred arms might help her to feel less alone, that she can relate to someone?
But at the same time I thought that walking over to a female stranger that struggles with SI in a mall and saying, "Hey, I seen your wrist, I do that too!" wouldn't work out well despite my intention to help her  . Usually talking to women I don't know doesn't end well to begin with, so talking about SI to a woman I have never met in a mall I wasn't sure how to approach.
Eventually she and her male companion left and I didn't say anything to her.
It doesn't sit well with me that I did nothing to help her. Even if I am not sure there was anything I could do, knowing that someone had SI and I did nothing to help them feels so wrong .
Did I do the right thing? What should I have done? What would you do?
To the unknown woman in the mall ----->  
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