hi i hate self diagnosing and i try my best to avoid it but my family doesn’t really believe in mental illness so anyone in my family who could’ve been mentally ill wouldn’t know? because nobody has ever been diagnosed or evaluated?? so i’m kind of alone in this. the things that have crossed my mind in a non-intrusive thought way were that i could have bpd, bipolar, anxiety & depression (but i feel that’s a given because a majority of the population has those), a developing eating disorder, and/or psychosis. i cant exactly ask for help because all my cries for help have ended in getting my stuff taken away and no professional help whatsoever. i’ve recently started self harming again and i need so badly to just get away from my family and even put in a mental hospital. i cant handle not knowing if there’s something wrong with me.

Hey there,

I am so sorry that you are going through all of this alone. I am not a professional so I cannot diagnose you and nor do I know you or your story or experiences but it does sound like you could really do with talking to someone right now. Have you ever considered talking to a counsellor from either a helpline or on web counselling before? It would be completely confidential and your family wouldn’t even have to know, it may be a way for you to get some much needed support and advice.

It can be so hard when you’re not sure if you or those in your immediate family have any mental health related concerns. It can be hard because some mental health issues can run in the family and so it can be beneficial to know this stuff at times. I get that you are finding this frustrating, the fact that you have not received any professional help despite asking for it, anyone in your position would be, but it doesn’t meant that you can’t actively seek help yourself as already mentioned above. We also have a page on getting help which may be helpful for you to check out. It lists some other people you may be able to confide in and talk to and ways in which you can go about asking for help. You can check out this page by clicking here.

You mentioned that you have started to self-harm again. Have you tried any self-help techniques when you get the urges to self-harm? If not then please do check out our pages on alternatives to self-harm, distractions and reasons not to self-harm. I know that sometimes these things won’t always help or be helpful, but it’s worth a try. Perhaps you could even make up a distraction box of things you can actively do or turn to when you feel like self-harming. Just an idea!

I also wanted to mention that whilst some people may experience some symptoms of the mental health issues you spoke about, it doesn’t mean that everyone will have that diagnosis. For example someone who may feel anxious or depressed may not be diagnosed as being anxious or clinically depressed. I am not trying to down play what you are experiencing at all but there are different aspects to all diagnosis’. Just something to keep in mind.

I really hope that this has helped a bit and please do know that we are here for you and please do let us know if we can help to support you in any other way. I’m thinking of you and hope that you’re going OK or at least as best as you can be right now!

Take care,

Lauren