Dear Dish-It, My Friend Cuts Herself
Dear Dish-It,
My mate had sex with her boyfriend and now he's dumped her. She's cutting her arms and stuff and won't listen when I say he's not worth it. What do I do?
Suite Pea
Dear Suite Pea,
You need to tell someone - like a trusted adult - what your friend is doing to herself. Don't think of it as breaking her trust or ratting out a friend because the fact is, by telling someone, you are helping her. What she's doing sounds like something called "cutting" or "self-mutilation." Some people cut themselves when they are completely overwhelmed - they think of it as a way to cope with problems. Obviously it's a really bad form of coping and there are people that can help your friend through this and help her find a better way to deal with her problems. So tell someone like her parents, the school nurse or principal, or even your own parents.
Dear Dish-It,
I am going through a depression right now. Sometimes I can't take it and I wish I was dead cuz I cause my friends so much pain. Then other times I feel like they don't even care or like they're my friends only because they feel sorry for me. Then, somehow, they show me they do care. Still other times I think the opposite cuz they just completely dis me and then come back like nothing happened. I just don't know what to do! Can you possibly help me or am I just hopeless?
sMaRtTaRt_07
Dear sMaRtTaRt_07,
You aren't hopeless. You are, however, suffering from a severe case of low self-esteem - and maybe even a little depression. You need to go easier on yourself. You have friends - and it sounds like they care about you. Sometimes, it's hard on the peeps you care about when you are so blue and down all the time. They probably want to be there for you, but you're a bit of a bummer right now and they don't know how to make you feel better. There are tons of things you can do to make yourself feel better - about yourself and your life. Start by writing down five things that you are grateful for at the end of every day. This is an Oprah Winfrey trick, and although it seems kinda dumb, it really makes you stop and think of good things that happened that day. Hopefully, it'll also change your thinking pattern so you eventually stop seeing the glass half empty all the time. But that is not the only thing you should or could do. I think you may want to talk to your doctor about how you feel. The problem might be too serious for the top five list to solve. Remember there is nothing wrong with chattin' to your doc or your 'rents about how you feel - chances are, more people will be able to relate to your blue mood than you'd think.
Dear Dish-It,
At the moment things really seem to be going wrong. My best friend committed suicide last year and another close friend of mine died of cancer. I'm not very self-confident and I keep having thoughts of suicide - although, I don't think I would actually do anything to hurt myself. I just wish these thoughts would go away! I can't talk to family or friends about it because then they would just be worried over nothing.
Pink_Angel
Dear Pink_Angel,
Thoughts of suicide ARE something that should be taken seriously and worried about. In fact, with all you've gone through recently - losing two close friends - it's no wonder you're more than a little depressed. When you lose someone close to you, let alone your best friend, you should talk to someone. Have you discussed your feelings with anyone? You should definitely talk to someone. There are some numbers you can call if you really don't want to let your parents and friends help you through this. There's 1-800-SUICIDE which is a hotline associated with www.yellowribbon.org. There are also a few Web sites that may give you advice on how to cope with all you've gone through. You can check out Preventing Teen Suicide from the American Academy of Pediatrics or Suicidal.com which has a complete list of crisis hotline numbers. Hang in there!
Dear Dish-It,
I've slit my wrists before and I'm afraid I'm going to do it again.
Bleeding
Dear Bleeding,
TALK TO SOMEONE! Please! I'm not the right person for this because I am not a doctor or a trained therapist. Please use the phone numbers and Web sites above that I wrote about to Pink_Angel and tell an adult close to you what is going on. You know, I don't think there is a teen out there who hasn't felt alone and depressed, but no matter how many peeps feel it, it doesn't make it just normal "growing pains" - especially not in your case. You really aren't alone, even though it may feel that way. Please try to keep hope and talk to someone soon!
So gotta burnin' question? Need some love directions? Thinkin' about stuff like teen suicide, depression and just feelin' bad, sex, boyfriends, girlfriends, bullying or peer pressure but too scared to ask the 'rents? Don't be scared to Dish it. Just remember, if you hang out in chat with other Kidzworld members who know you by your nick, you might wanna use a secret nick when you write in. That way no one will ever know it's you. Remember though, Dish-It gets tons of letters a day - she'll definitely answer ya, but it may take a bit. Thanks! Got some words of wisdom you wanna share? We'll dish them up too.
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