TeenHealthFX - Answers - Needs Help Before Thoughts Are Carried Out

Other Emotional Health Issues / Question
Published: August 17, 2007

Dear TeenHealthFX,

Hey Guys, Latley i have been wondering what is wrong with me, about 3 months ago this started happening. I love my life so much, but when i get around sharp things,i feel like slitting my throat, or harming my fam, i have no idea why or how. i get those thoughts also in different ways like, when my mom is driving, i feel like reaching for the wheel and just purposly getting in a car crash, Or like Turning on the Gas, and lighting a match and blowing my house up. Again this has been going on for like 3 months. There are times when i almost do it. I dont feel like myself anymore, almost like i lost my sense of fun. This doesnt go on all day, just at night, and when im kind of bored. and when i think about any of that stuff just the tiniest bit, it gets worst. Please help, so i know what to do, and how to get help. Before i actually carry out those thoughts. Thanks

Signed: Needs Help Before Thoughts Are Carried Out

Dear Needs Help Before Thoughts Are Carried Out,

While it is hard for TeenHealthFX to know what is specifically contributing to these recent urges you are having to harm yourself and others, we do know that the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing are serious and need to be addressed as soon as possible. FX thinks it is critical that you tell a trusted adult immediately about these thoughts so that a consultation can be set up with a mental health professional. By meeting with a mental health professional you can get a better idea of what is contributing to these particular thoughts, as well as to formulate a treatment plan that will reduce the intensity and frequency of these kinds of thoughts and impulses for your own safety and the safety of others. When you and your parents call to schedule an appointment with a therapist or psychiatrist, inform that person of what you are specifically experiencing so that you can be seen by that person without delay.

If you live in northern New Jersey and need help finding a therapist you can call the Access Center from Atlantic Behavioral Health at 888-247-1400. Outside of this area you can log onto the US Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website for referrals in your area.

If you get to the point that you are seriously considering harming yourself or others, or are afraid of your impulses in any way, then you need to seek help immediately. You can call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room. In northern New Jersey you can also call the crisis hotline from Morristown Memorial hospital at 973-540-0100. Outside this area call the Suicide & Crisis Hotline, 1-800-999-9999, 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Signed: TeenHealthFX