What will happen if my doctors find out I self injure?

I self injure. I severely cut and burn both my arms.
I get x-rays everytime I go to my back doctor and an echocardiogram(echo) whenever I go to the heart doctor. Both of those require me to wear short sleeved gowns. I'm afraid of what the doctors/ nurses will do when they see the cuts. Aren't they by law not supposed to reveal any info about patients? I'm afraid my parents will find out or I will be placed in a psych ward or an institution or something. Please Help!

If you are child/teenager...
You are considered a minor hence the same confidentuality protections afford an adult do not apply
Your parents will find out when the Doctors see what you have done to yourself and if the doctor feels that for your own safety you need to be placed in a secure place where you are less likely to SEVERELY injure yourself he could talk your parents into placing you in a hospital

My advise to you is talk with your parents explain and show them what you have done to yourself (this will be the hardest thing to do) They will be overwhelmed there may be crying even yelling and screaming and they may have lots of questions DON'T shut yourself down
(you will have to be strong) because they are human and undoubtly will not understand why their child has resorted to self-harm (their reaction may be the total opposite) once everyone calms down you can all together work on a plan of action together
You and your parents may work out a way that they can know
without you having to say it that you are feeling unsafe and need help not giving into the urge/impulse to self-harm
Such as "I need to be with you" whatever it is make it so that it is clear to all parties involved that you can't control yourself at that moment and that you need assistance

DON'T make promises you can't keep it will leave you feeling guilty and may lead you to punish yourself more severely
How much your parents trust you will help determine how they feel is the best way to deal with this
They may start to question you more even to the point of doing body checks it's not to hurt or nag you they love you and don't want to see you hurt yourself any more
Remember this is very hard on them so be patient
They will probably want you to see someone who in turn may ask you to contract for safety if you can't, DON'T
Your therapist and/or pyschiatrist will keep what you say to them confidential unless of course you become a danger to yourself or others they may discuss your progress, course of action and any treatment goals with your parents

I'm sorry I went on and on I just wanted you to be somewhat prepared for what may happen once you share your secret with them I hope that you are able to overcome this and realize what a great person you are
Much Love & Peace

Stop. Immediatly. For your own good.

ever see saw 4 yeah stop iT!!

if you are under 18, then they will have to tell your parents...and they will. it is ok, they aren't going to send you to a psych ward, they will get you some decent help that you KNOW you need!

well maybe it would be best for someone to see so u can get the help u need.

they will most likely tell your parents and they will either try to get you some help, or just ask why you do and try to work it all out

you wont be put in a psych ward. they will just talk to you about it. probably the worst thing that you might imagine is have you in theropy, theropiests aren't that bad either. but you definately have a problem.

Hmm..

first off, i suggest you stop cutting.
if your doctors find out you cut, they will inform your parents probably. then, you'll probably have to see a shrink or something.

so i suggest you stop cutting, and don't go to the doctor any soon?

sorry not sure if it might help =X

You really should not cut and burnn yourself! You should wear something on your arms so that when you try to cut/burn yourself, you will be able to stop. It should probably be something casual. Hope this helps!

They are allowed to do something if you are under 18 years old. Is there a reason why you cut yourself? Having expirence with this, it's not something to be proud of. Once you start, it is extremely hard to stop. I suggest you find something you enjoy doing/or something that means a lot to you. I lost my best friend in a car accident i was in last summer, and i thought that was the end. I thought for sure i would go down hill even worse than where i was at. I tried to keep myself busy, and found out i really like graphic design. Whenever i start to get sad, or think about something that could provoke me to self harm again, i do something i enjoy to keep my mind off of it.


I hope that helps.
I know ways you could cover it up, but i feel like i shouldn't be telling you that because you really should consider talking to someone, i know it sounds stupid, but it really does help. Especially before a doctor or your parents see them.

Good luck

take matters into your own hand, and ask for help.

Depending on your age and where you live, you might be have doctor-patient confidentiality rights. You will not be placed in an institution. They will provide psychotherapy and support to get you to stop. Don't worry. 1 in 9 Americans have a mental illness.

There is a confidentiality between doctor and patient, but if you are a minor and you are in danger of harming yourself or others, then they need to tell your parents so they can discuss treatment options.

If you tell them you are willing to try medication and therapy, they probably won't think you need inpatient psychiatric treatment - but I think you probably do.

You will get the help you need in a supportive and caring environment so that you can get better.

I've worked in psych hospitals as part of my psychiatric rotation for nursing school, and it is not something to be scared of.

Please, please tell your parents so you can get help and stop self-harming.

If you are doing this it is bigger than someone finding out.
The fact that you are doing it in the top of your arms indicates that you in fact KNOW what you are doing.This means you are seriously in need of help.Psychological and mental help.You need to get help.If you continue to cut and burn yourself it will end up going beyond that one day.You may not even realize sub consciously that you are doing it.It is a SERIOUS cry for help.GET yourself help.ASK it is there.
As for the Drs they will have to tell the appropriate people. I do not think they will lock you up.I believe they will get you the help you need before it is too late. This is SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS what you are doing.

first things first you should tell someone it dosent matter if its a helpline to a aunt or a m8....
that should take some pressure off you and im sure they will offer help to you.

i am POSITIVE you wont get placed on a psyh ward you would if you went mad .but self harm isnt madness it is just a way to show that your depressed or so happy to live ect ect ... and i am sure you r parents love you to bits ! as scary as it maybe prehaps they might actully help!

good luck x

Why are you doing this to yourself?

Aren't you doing it because you want to get caught? You want attention?

If so, why fear the Doctors and Nurses?

They'll provide the attention you are desperately crying out for by self injuring yourself.

What they'll do?

First they'll discuss it among themselves. Why? They want to confirm their thoughts that you are in fact self injuring yourself.

Next depends on your age. If you're really young, they'll go right to your parents and tell them.

If you're not - if you're a teenager, they may sit you down and talk about it. They will not judge you - they run into this sort of thing all the time.

They'll discuss it with you and either ask you to go see a counselor or a psychologist. For that's what you need. You're missing something from your life and you need to find out what's missing.

BUT - some States or some Doctors have rules that make reporting problems like this to the minor's parents mandatory. So they may have to inform your parents. But they should also tell your parents how to handle it -- to be non-judgmental - and to make an appointment with a counselor, psychologist or a psychiatrist as soon as possible.

You need help Hon - before you do major damage to your skin. And you have to find out what's missing from your life - what you're craving that's making you do this to yourself.

All I can say is good luck on your road to enlightenment!

ken

first off... did you mean to hurt yourself? if you didn't just make sure they know that. things do happen sometimes. however, if you ment to do this ask yourself why? if you go and the doctors fear for your saftey they will tell your parents. this is not a bad thing. its good to let someone know how you are feeling. there are other things besides a "phych ward" that can happen. you can talk to counsolers at your school or a doctor. there are many things that can help you. there are programs just for helping people see how wonderful they are.

if you've ever seen saw 4 then you already know part of what they do but if you don't I'll explain the first choice is the not so trendy straight jacket next is a mental institute third if they deem you a threat to yourself it's mental institute until deemed safe

ya so stop it!

as for the cuts and burns put bandages on them and say you got cut when you fell and slid on the pavement

I think they would lock you u p in a steel padded room