Ask Sam letter

Asker

To Sam

What to tell my psychiatrist

For several years I have been very ill but no doctors have been able to diagnose me or help me with the pains and Fatigue. I have had to give up pretty much everything I used to do, including all sport, which I used to do a Lott. I have also taken a lot of time off school making me fall behind and very anxious about this. I have also begun being quite a perfectionist with the things I can control as I cannot control the pains I experience as no pain killer relieve me. After a while I became quite depressed as I had nothing to do and over a year ago I began self-harming as a relief method. I have seen a psychiatrist to deal with coping with the pain I have and dealing with self-harm. The last couple months I have been feeling very suicidal. I am in a crucial part of my education with exams and I don't see an escape route or anyway I could have a joyful future. I wanted to know what would happen if I told my psychiatrist the way I feel and the level of suicidal feelings I am experiencing. Thanks
Ask Sam

Sam

Hello,

Thank you for writing to me about this. The last few years sound like they’ve been very frustrating and a lot for you to cope with alone. Professionals like psychiatrists are there to help, but they can only do that if they know what’s going on.

It’s hard for me to say exactly what your psychiatrist would do if you told them about your suicidal feelings, but they would want whatever is best for you. Psychiatrists should be there for you and the more you work with them, the more they can do to help.

It may well be that they want to share your suicidal feelings with some other people, but they would only do this to help you. The people they’d want to tell could be there to offer extra support, to help you through this difficult time.

Exams can be a really stressful time, so having as much support as you can get is a positive thing.

You're dealing with some really difficult things. It might help to read our advice on coping with wanting to self-harm or coping with suicidal feelings.

Opening up to someone is hard – if you’re finding it difficult to do then maybe you can practise talking about it with someone you trust. If you wanted you can do this with a ChildLine counsellor – they’ll always be happy to do that. It’s important that you speak to someone straight away if you feel suicidal or you’re worried that you might harm yourself.

Take care

Sam

Need help straight away?

You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.

Ask me a question

You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.

Write me a letter