First Steps
The following post is based on my own opinion. It is how I started to recover and what I consider to have been a good combination of help and support. You cannot tell someone how to recover, you can only tell them what worked for you. Everyone is different and responds to different approaches. Over the years I have been extremely lucky and had maily good experiences when dealing with the medical profession. I do appreciate that not everyone is this fortunate. What I will always say is that if you are not happy with the level of care you are receiving, then ask to see someone else.
GP
Your GP is often your first step to getting help as most referrals need to be done through him/her. You need to be open and honest about how you are feeling. There is no point telling half a story since this doesn't give the GP a true picture of what is happening. Don't be afraid to tell your GP that you feel down, anxious or depressed, or even suicidal. These feelings are so important for your GP to make a diagnosis on your condition and for the correct medication, if necessary, to be prescribed.
If antidepressant medication is prescribed then it normally takes 4 to 6 weeks to notice any real improvement so give it a chance to work. If for any reason you feel worse, don't hesitate to go back to your GP. Not all medication suits everyone and there are many alternatives so it could be that another one would be more suitable for you.
Don't feel like you are wasting your GPs time. Go back as many times as you need to. This is what he/she is here for.
Your GP may then decide to refer you to other sources of help.
COUNSELLING
There are many different forms of counselling, ranging from one to one to group counselling. I initially had general counselling for self harm, anxiety and depression from the counselling service based at Cheadle Royal Hospital who offered a service where you could be seen at your GPs surgery, making you feel less anxious.
Cheadle Royal Hospital
SELF HARM SUPPORT GROUP
Attending a self harm support group was one of the best things that I ever did. For a long time I thought I was strange. I didn't know anyone else who did what I did and to meet other people who self harmed made me realise that I was just an ordinary person who had found a way to cope with situations. Listening to other people helped me also see certain reasons that I felt the way I did.
I would later start helping to run this support group and eventually take it over with the help of Steve.
SHARE Self Harm Awareness & Recovery for Everyone
The support group holds weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings at The Zion Centre in Hulme and also offers online information and support.
COUNSELLING FOR WHAT CAUSED YOU TO SELF HARM
Not everyone knows what caused them to begin to self harm. For those who do, not everyone will want or need to address the past. In my case, I realised that it was burying the past that was causing the majority of my problems and feelings. The counselling I received at St Marys changed my life. I will never be able to thank Lisa enough for the many hours she spent listening to me, advising me and guiding me towards a new way of looking at my life.
St Marys
I think my worst fear of counselling was that someone was going to sit me down and force me to tell them everything. I didn't know how many of these things I could say outloud. I didn't know what would happen, how I would feel, how I would react, whether it would help or whether if would make me feel even worse.
I was so scared the first time I went into that room. Reliving things that I had kept to myself for so many years was so hard but the people at St Marys are trained to know exactly how you are feeling and everything is done at your pace.
What surprised me the most about counselling was that I soon realised that it was not all about just reliving the past trauma. It was about learning about yourself, how you feel, how you think and most of all, how you react. The only way I can describe those months is that it was as if my life was a book but hundreds of pages were missing. Lisa slowly helped me put these pages back and explained why the past had caused me to react in certain ways to certain situations. Much of what she taught me made so much sense but because I had never allowed myself to open up like this before, it had gone unrecognised throughout my life.
The next steps were to put these lessons into practice. Counselling opens up a lot of old wounds and some days I would be so proud of myself for thinking so much more positive and putting my new skills into practice. Other days the whole thing would be so hard, Some weeks I would manage without self harm and then suddenly, I would slip up again. Lisa reassured me that this was ok and to be expected. She helped me to look at the positives of what I was starting to achieve and to put any bad days behind me and start again.
A & E
If you are feeling like your self harming is out of control or you have suicidal feelings, you should always seek madical help. Never hesitate to go to A & E if you feel unsafe. Self harm is a real problem and you have as much right as any other patient to be seen and treated in a respectful manner. Fortunately, I have never had to attend A & E with my self harm.
The people closest to me were my rocks during this time.
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