She thinks I'm crazy..?

A little while ago, i had an issue with anger and self mutilation. I had been making a ton of progress to stop, talking to my family and a school councilor.
The one day I had cuts all over me. But i honestly didn't and still don't remember doing it.

So I had talked to a woman at a teen health organization, and she was asking me a few questions. You know, Family, school..health. She asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with a mental illness. But it wasn't just one of those that was part of the routine...her tone told me she thought i was crazy.

I guess I've always thought, in the back of my mind, I was...shall we say "different"..I guess i just never wanted to react upon it..but lately, I'm starting to think she's right.

What do you think?

I didn't refuse to get help., thank you. I am not making any excuses. What I am doing by asking this question i seeing if i should actually go to a doctor for a diagnosis or not. I'm not refusing help.

And I've stopped cuttinh for 3 months..so don't even refer to that, please?

I think you need help. And I am sure that she did not think you were crazy. You are using that as an excuse. You think everyone thinks you are crazy, so you refuse to get help.
You refuse to get help--really--because the reason you are so angry and cut yourself is hard. It upsets you so much that you just don't seem to be able to talk about it and work on it. It seems easier for you to just lash out--verbally and with a knife--to hide behind the pain. IS that really how you want to live? I can't believe it is. You must hate yourself and feel guilty about something--even if it's not your fault you feel this way. Girls who cut themselves are in terrible emotional pain--and the cutting is saying that they want help. You can't hide cuts--not for long. Then people try to help you and you say they think you're crazy. WRONG. If you want to stop this, then go back to that woman and ask her for help.

Get help. I have no idea if you're crazy. At least you're connected with the right people that can help. Now let them help. This is something you don't want to fool around with.

no, they must ask everyone they help if they have a mental illness. That is the woman's own problem and not yours. If she has a problem with people who might have mental issues, she hides it but it shows if she has trouble asking that question.

it's good you made progress to stop. I don't think you should be considering the possibility of having problems you haven't noticed before

Only you and your family can decide that. I would suggest that you see a physician that can provide instruction for you not to think about hurting yourself anymore.

She is helping you - she is labeling you. What you need to do is try very hard to recall what you were doing before you discovered the cuts.....put notes down and then put everything in an essay to yourself. Try and understand in this situation and the situations you discussed with the school counselor what it was that had you lash out on yourself....and as you take the road to self-understanding, try and continue dialogue with family and the counselor who helped you out so much.

I think everybody asks themselves the question: Am I Crazy? asking yourself that is normal, and that is a routine question. My advice is just try to keep up with your progress and don't let anything get in your way to succeeding. I think you thinking your crazy will only set you way back in it and it's an excuse to act out.

Having a mental illness does not make you "crazy". Crazy is a label that's plagued people with mental illness for a long, long time. I work in the mental health field (as well as having post traumatic stress disorder myself) and I HATE that word. mental illness is an ILLNESS, just like the flu, heart disease, or diabetes. It's not the fault of the person suffering from it, and it's not in their control. There are biological, physical causes of mental illness (like chemical imbalances).

I don't know you, your situation, or your life, so I can't really say rather or not you have a mental illness. But if you're cutting, you clearly have a lot of pain/anxiety that you need help dealing with. Self injury is an attempt to relieve unbearable emotions and thoguhts. I'm concerned that you don't remember doing it. Do you have a history of dissociation? Any trauma?

I'm glad you're seeking help. And the woman asking you if you've been diagnosed with a mental illness was most likely just doing her job. It's a very valid question, given the circumstances. If you had been diagnosed, she would need to know in order to help you appropriately. Often people feel shame and embarassment about having a mental illness and are afraid of being seen as crazy. You may have heard her tone as accusatory because you were feeling insecure.

There isn't any shame in having a mental illness. It's very stigmatized in our culture, but someone suffering from depression, bipolar, or any other mental disorder is no more responsible for that illness than someone with cancer or multiple sclerosis is.

You aren't "crazy". You may be depressed and in need of help, but that does not make you crazy. Please continue to get help. If the woman at the center made you uncomfortable, ask to speak with someone else. That is your right, and they should accomidate your wishes. Take care of yourself!

Good luck,
Sabine1313