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My sister might be hurting herself

Emily309 April 30th, 2021

I might be over thinking it. But I found a tiny screwdriver in the bathroom. And I know what I used that for... I struggled with self harm so bad in middle and high school that I wasn’t allowed to shave or have pencil sharpeners. Teachers would ask her about it at school. I’m much older now and have been clean for years, but this new fear of my little sister possibly doing the same thing haunts me. Idk. She even lied about who put it in there. I asked both parents and they both denied putting it in the shower when she said that they did. I’m not sure how to proceed. Or what to think. Am I just overthinking?

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Emily309 OP April 30th, 2021

My little sister left a screwdriver in the shower. Sorry for not explaining that in the beginning.

ShizukanaChinmoku April 30th, 2021

Hello, my friend! I understand your worry about your sister and that she might be into self harm. Taking into consideration about what happened and the screw driver, your worry is real and you might not be overthinking. But have you seen any scars or signs of harm on your sister? Does she try to hide anything? If yes, please sit down with your sister and have a talk about it. Be calm and empathetic. If things are serious, please reach out for support. 😊 I wish everything is fine and you all are safe.❤

2 replies
Emily309 OP April 30th, 2021

She recently came out as trans... my parents are highly UNACCEPTABLE of this. I have told her that I would understand about her self harm and I would only support her in feeling better. (I was caught several times with self harm/ my mom talked to everyone she knew about it.) But she didn’t explain why it was in the shower and I’m afraid to push anymore than I have. I know she’s going through so much and I probably don’t help as I’m struggling myself. I just want her to be safe

1 reply
Tors May 1st, 2021

I'm really new to this app and I'm still struggling alot but when I needed the most help I would never admit it to anyone, my best advise is be the best friend for your sister, love and care for her all you can because knowing there's someone there looking out for you and loving you can make a real massive difference

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littlepurpleflower June 1st, 2021

My little sibling self harms. I self harm as well. The best advice I can give you is to not freak out. You don’t want her to feel like she can’t talk to you about it. Don’t encourage it of course, but don’t overreact or tell her what to do. What she needs is an ally. It sounds like your family is not supportive of her, you’re probably one of the few people in the family that she can be herself around, so keep being that person for her. Talk with her in private about your suspicions and try your best to stay cool and be sympathetic. You’ve been there before so you know how it feels to want to hurt yourself. You understand her better than most people in that respect. Maybe open up about your own experiences. Lastly, you can’t stop her from self harming completely, but you can reduce the harm by telling her how to do it safely. This may sound bad but harm reduction is important. A screwdriver doesn’t sound like a sanitary object to inflict harm with. I don’t know how someone could use an object like that for SH but cleaning with alcohol and never using it more than 5 times if blood is involved is always a place to start. This doesn’t encourage self harm, I’m coming from the idea that if she’s gonna do it and you can’t stop her, it’s best she knows how to do so safely to avoid sepsis. I know this is triggering for you, suspecting that your younger sibling is hurting herself, especially when you used to hurt yourself, is probably one of the worst feelings out there. But you have the ability to help and be there for her.