Candy,

I told my sister. It was like a year and a half ago that I told her, not long after my most significant SI episode that landed me in jail. I'm rather estranged from my family, living in a different state from any of them, and I hadn't had much communication with any of them for quite a while, but this particular sister (Angela, but not the same Angela who is here - my kids think they have two aunt Angelas, actually) had stayed with us for 6 weeks so that she could do a rotation for medical school in a rural setting, and we had some communication. She's younger than me, but was the one who followed me around reminding me how incapable and wrong I always was too, so I never felt like I could confide in her before. She is a psychiatrist now.

Anyway, I just called her up and told her one night. She was way more supportive than I ever thought she would be. She said she had been worried about me (I had always been careful not to let anyone in my family know that I had issues, but pretty much all of us do). And she had even tried SI herself, not cutting, but a method of her own, that would almost take a medical student to think of. She understood, and accepted it, and said that I had good insight into my problems. She has medication ideas for me from time to time, but has also accepted that I don't want to be medicated. I haven't told anyone else in my family, but I am glad that I told Angela. I was so nervous about it though.

Candy, I think it will be ok. It can really feel good sometimes to let some of your walls down and let your secret out, and get some support from someone who knows you. Let us know what she says, ok?

Wendy