We are so glad you decided to reach out to us and of course we can help you. Struggling with depression and cutting are two very scary things to go through by yourself. Please know that you are not alone and that there are people who can help you with how you are feeling.
Cutting is a very dangerous coping skill to start using when you are feeling depressed. It may seem like it has been helping, but eventually it will get to a point where it is another reason you feel bad. Many times when people turn to cutting, they find themselves more upset because they have to hide their cuts, come up with lies about their marks and worry about cutting too deep. All of these things are huge stressors not to mention the ones you are already going through. Remember though that there are many other coping skills that you can replace the cutting with. It may take awhile to find ones that will work, but with enough determination you can stop the cutting and replace it with a coping skill that is positive (writing, drawing, reading, music, exercise, cleaning, volunteering, video/computer games, yoga, meditating, calling friends, emailing/calling us, etc) for you. It will be important that you have a list of coping skills you can do when you start feeling down so you can go through them one by one until you find one that will work for that specific time.
This will not be an easy task to get through, so it is important that you have a strong support system as well. There are many places on the internet that can provide support to you and you know that we are always here for you. We know you are scared to tell your family about what is going on, but no one would want you to be suffering this way on your own. If they are unaware of how you are feeling there is no way they can give you the support you need or help you with your depression. No caring parent wants their child to feel this way and would do everything in their power to get them the help they need. We are sure if your parents knew what was going on they would want to get you the help you deserve. Try to sit down with them, when they are not busy, and be as honest as you can with how you have been feeling lately. Many times we help teens talk to their parents about what is going on and we would be happy to help you do this too. Often times parents do not know how to proceed when they find out their children are depressed and we give them the tools and resources they need to help their child the best. So, if this is something you are interested in we would be happy to do so.
We really hope it helped to relieve some of your stress by writing to us. Remember we are 24/7 and always have counselors available to talk with you. Never hesitate to get back in touch with us and keep us updated with how things are going!
Be Strong,
Andria, Counselor