Quote:
Originally Posted by buttrfli42481
She is almost 13 and has several uniform cuts on her left arm. She told me that she got them at her dad's this weekend moving wooden pallets. The thing is that they don't look like scratches the way they are so close together and uniform. I have tried getting ahold of her T and had to leave a message. She wears long sleeves a lot. I don't know what to do about this. She has been hospitalized for writing a sui note both inpatient and outpatient. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to approach this subject with her?
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(trigger icon for mention of suicide, self-harm, and attempted murder)
That's when I first got caught with it. At this point, though, I had already been doing it for close to 4 years. I was telling everyone that they were various scratches from various things, and until I turned 13, they worked.
As for getting ahold of her therapist--good job on your part. Even though she hates you for it now, she might realize that you saved her life.
I wear long sleeves about 95% of the time, too, just to hide my arms from anyone or anything that could hurt them. I'm rarely seen with any type of bottom that doesn't go past the knees for the same reason.
I can relate to this in so many ways, because of all of this, and the fact that that I've been an outpatient (and still am one) for suicidal thoughts and writing 3 separate suicide notes.
What I would suggest is definitely NOT what my dad did. He threatened to kill me if he saw any more cuts, and three hours later, the police were at my house, because someone from across my street saw him holding a knife to my throat.
What I would suggest, however, is don't get mad at her. That's actually one of the worst things that you can do. If you need to place her in a psychiatric hospital for a while, in hopes that it'll work, then try it. (I've admitted myself into the psychiatric hospital countless times!)
At her next session with her therapist, try to see if you can go back to the room with her, and try to talk this through with her. Having the therapist there might help settle elevated emotions. That's the only reason why I didn't severely hurt my dad when he brought it up.
I hope this helps...