How did everyone react when you were exposed for SH?

[tiltedcompass]

When I was 14 almost 15, my mom asked why I didn't take off my jacket despite the hot weather, and I inmediately confessed. Then, she forced me to take it off and she saw the cuts on my arms. She was angry, said that those scars would stay like that forever and probably called me stupid, I don't remember very well. Some time later she mentioned that my scars would bring other people's attention, in a bad way of course.
I was almost hospitalized and according to the doctors, I was deemed "a danger to myself and others" despite that I didn't have any sort of violent thoughts involving other people, and the cuts themselves were very shallow.
The whole experience was awful, and after that I had to be supervised by an adult every time I went outside. That fucked me up and even now I'm scared of doing things alone. I relapsed years ago and the only person who knows is my partner, who reacted well but is worried about me getting worse.

 

[mangoastronaut]

Reading all these replies makes me feel like when James Baldwin said that our suffering is what joins us together instead of isolating us lmao. I'm sorry we all went through this, and I am glad I'm not alone with this.

 

[rotten]

Similar experience in some ways to your last experience. When someone in my family found out, my parents completely freaked out. Constant surveillance. My dad tried to 'discretely' pat me down for bandages or obvious injuries or who knows what. It was not discrete at all other than he traumatized 'hugs' for me. He didn't explain or apologize for how invalidating and disgusting that felt. I never want to be touched like that again.

They searched my belongings that I had left in my room (since this was back when I was in high school). Confiscated all my medical supplies that I had personally paid for which only made things worse. Took my art supplies, restricted my access to cooking and utensils. Obsessed over my eating and daily habits, even completely innocent regular ones. Forced me to confess to my psychiatrist by calling and telling her and guilt tripping me, Held financial support of living expenses and future tuition over my head, etc. Frankly I considered it a very traumatic experience and I have not been able to visit that house comfortably or interact with my parents the same since. It's inspired a deep seated anxiety/paranoia about being caught or forcefully hospitalized again that I continuously have nightmares (though not as often since it has been a few years since). Most frustrating about the experience is that the surveillance ment I had to postpone my CTB plans I mpletely planned for the next month, before my birthday.

That's so awful of them. I'm sorry you had to go through that I know it must have been pure hell. Surveillance by unhinged parents just makes everything so much worse, it's no wonder why people can't heal.

 

[DeeDog]

None of my friends cared, but then my parents cared a little too much. I was 14 or 15 I think when they found out; they shouted at me for hours, I started crying almost immediately and didn't stop. They stopped me from seeing friends, took my phone and told my school to get them to interrogate me. My mum started sending me a bunch of those bs anti self harm methods and got me a counsellor. She then said to me that I could try other things like "hitting myself in the head" instead of cutting. She then also threatened to have my sectioned/detained against my will. She didn't and doesn't care if I suffer, she just doesn't want to SEE it. She then tried to gaslight me and says she never said that.

 

[Merocero]

When my mom found out because we went to a psychiatrist for the first time and i had to tell her, she made it about herself somehow... "i cant believe you could do that to me" "do you know how much that hurts me" like damn.. this isnt about you yet somehow youve put yourself in the spotlight,, she would say the same stuff when i said im suicidal and want to be admitted into a psych ward, on the way she would constantly say "im such a horrible mother" and "am i really that bad for you?" which like, damn, now i wanna ctb even more! sigh