Sigh, this subject is just fraught with problems...Here's why...I have told medical providers about my pattern of self harm. And I've been involuntarily committed for it. And I was violated when they did so. I already had PTSD but I now also am traumatized by my experience with medical professionals.

Mavriforce brings up a good point that, yes, ideally you could confide in your T and feel that, however you would be cared for, that you would be safe. But the fact of the matter is, while your T might be thinking that having you committed would keep you safe, psych wards are often dangerous places where the patients are abused, violated, demeaned, and treated with no dignity or respect. For patients who have depression and anxiety and need to build confidence and self esteem, these stays can be way more harmful than helpful. I know it was in my case.

I think the key is building trust with your T before you confide in them about some of these things and then having a contract. So, I had a contract with one T where if I self harmed, then she would fire me as a patient. She was perfectly clear.

I had another T who understood the nature of my self harm, and if I was at the doctor getting stitches and they called him to report my self harm and see if I needed to be committed, he would tell them to let me go home, that our next appointment was in a few days, and that committal would not solve the issue.

I had another provider who not only caused me harm by not listening to me reporting side effects of prozac but then had me committed then fired me as a patient while I was in the hospital, telling the judge that she could no longer treat met because I was a danger to myself...when I was only a danger to myself because of the prozac that SHE put me on and that I had reported had side effects to her.

I don't trust most mental health professionals on face value. They have to prove to me that they are trustworthy and that they actually care. I have also learned, through all my experiences, to be my own advocate and know my own rights. I like my current pdoc and T because they are both very straight forward and also because they acknowledge that it ain't my first rodeo so they are completely honest with me. I also make decisions on what I need to tell them or not.

So that's just my take and how I operate. Everyone is different.

Seesaw