how do i tell?

ok so this just crossed my mind but i have a lot of different thoughts most of which i have very often but dont consider a problem but someone on another thread mentioned something i think of very often and someone else said it was very serious but if you have thoughts a lot how do you tell if they are serious for example

That sounds like an OCD intrusive thought. Do you WANT to stab yourself, or does the thought just flash in your mind? If it just flashes in your mind and you don't have a desire to do that, it is an intrusive thought. Intrusive thoughts are benign, but if they start to bother you a lot or cause you anxiety, tell your pdoc or therapist that they are bothering you.

OTOH, if you have the desire to do it, you need to seek medical help right away. Best wishes!

I have thoughts like that too. Not terribly uncommon.

If they're active thoughts where you make "plans" and/or buy "supplies", then it's definitely serious and you need to go to IP right away. But a lot of us here have passive sui thoughts, which is unfortunately "normal" behavior.

You're the best judge because you know yourself better than anyone else. If you think you're an immediate threat to yourself or others, you should definitely go to IP, although I understand it's not necessarily an easy thing to do. (I admit that I don't go to IP when I should go.)

Oh, and the other thing... If you're an impulsive person and you get these thoughts, it might be worthwhile considering IP. A lot of people make sui attempts without "planning". They just do it on impulse.

It's NOT normal, and I think you know it or you wouldn't ask.

I hope you will start listening when so many people here tell you that you're not doing well and you need help. It almost seems like you're making these posts for attention rather than for advice, and that you don't intend to do anything that's been recommended. You have demonstrated that you lack insight into the severity of your current episode and it scares us! Please, please, PLEASE pay attention to what we're saying to you---we're not trying to spoil your fun or ruin your life.

I agree with BipolarNurse that you're giving off vibes of posting for attention rather than advice. You won't take anyone's advice, and say that you think everything you do and feel is 'normal' though I suspect you, at least at times, know that these things are not 'normal' and you know what kinds of responses you will get ("This is not normal", "take your meds," etc.).

I just don't understand the need to ask questions that you surely know the answers to unless you are doing this for attention.

I think you are suffering and I am sorry for that. If you don't want to take meds, that's fine with me, but I think something like DBT might help to prevent you from doing these things, as well as helping with coping mechanisms, etc.

Please consider how you affect some people on PC, in real life, who are sincerely concerned about you and have been for a long time now (on this and other PC forums). It's frustrating, because you don't seem to want to take advice from the outset. I think you're stable enough at the moment to do so if you really wanted to.

I am not asking my questions for attention! This one i asked because i literally have the thought every 5 seconds so it does feel normal to me and it probably is the ocd as someone else suggested. So thanks to that person. And i did take peoples advice yesterday when i spent 3 hours reading about bipolar after it was suggested the ONLY suggestion i dont take is the take your meds one everything else i try so dont even start to make assumptions about my motives when you dont know me. If you dont want to deal with me then dont read or answer my threads no one is forcing you to do that.

Hi Eden,

When I asked you what you would do if you felt like hurting yourself again, you said you would contact your caseworker. Did you call her and tell her about this constant thought of hurting yourself?

Your previous post:
"Ok idk where to start..... For whoever asked what they are medicating me for I don't know specifically they just said I was psychotic they wouldn't say anything else. And I have already agreed to tell my caseworker if I think I am going to do anything dangerous and I really do feel fine right now like I don't feel like there is anything wrong. If it is such a concern to you all though then I will talk to my caseworker about it today when she comes over ..."

I've had similar thoughts. You can have it just be thoughts 50 times until that one time it's more thank thinking: it's doing.