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PaintCasual Contributor
Hey, I made a suicide attempt a week ago and I’m not feeling okay. I’m worried about my long term partner who has seen years of my SI and SH.
how can I let her know it’s not her but my MI?
In response to: Letting my partner down - warning suicide mentioned
wellwellwellnezSenior Contributor
I've been thinking about narrative therapy lately. I think this may be a scenario where a narrative therapy approach might help.
The gist of it is put your internal mechanisms into an external format. That way you can see from a more outside perspective which can make it a bit easier to manage/interact with.
Seems likely, you and your loved one could stand to remove some internal pressure. So, maybe give the issues some nicknames or something, so it's not either of you but a quirky third character(s). You could go full narrative and make a puppet for it you felt like it. (Though, I wouldn't call that part essential (also not not essential)).
In response to: Letting my partner down - warning suicide mentioned
Unknown userMember
heya @Paint, I just wanted to check-in and see how are you doing today?
I'm so sorry to hear that things have been feeling so dark for you. What's been happening to make you feel this way?
It's so brave to reach out in a new space, especially when you're feeling so vulnerable. Have you spoken much with your partner about what's happening?
Take care, and welcome,
TuxedoCat
In response to: Letting my partner down - warning suicide mentioned
ShiningStarSenior Contributor
Hi @Paint
I just wanted to reach out to welcome you to the forums - it’s great to have you here 💜
Oh Paint 💜 I’m so deeply sorry to hear that you recently attempted suicide and I can’t even begin to imagine what was happening for you at this time in your life 💜
In my experience, seeing our loved ones impacted by the mental health conditions that we live with can be incredibly painful and as I listened to this part of your story, I can really appreciate how important it is for you to be able to find a way to reassure your partner that your suicidal ideations and self-harm behaviours are part of the mental health conditions that you’re living with 💜
Finding a way to talk with our loved ones about our mental health can be incredibly daunting and so before I attempted to have these conversations, I took some time to think about what I felt comfortable to share and how I wanted to share these parts of my story. I also gave some thought to the timing of these conversations, to ensure that I had the energy and emotional reserves to participate in them.
However, it was only when I started to put some of my thoughts on paper, that I realised that my family had varying degrees of knowledge and understanding about mental health issues and so I felt that it would be helpful to start the conversation by sharing some basic information about the mental health conditions that I was living with.
As such, I used a variety of fact sheets and online resources to guide me. Through doing so, I was able to gently challenge some of my loved ones misconceptions about mental health and support them to better understand the mental health conditions that I was living with.
I wasn’t too sure if this is something that would be helpful for you, but if you felt that it would, Sane has some great fact sheets about a wide variety of mental health conditions 💜
I’ve just shared the link to this particular section of the forums, in case you would like to explore some of these resources further 😊
https://www.sane.org/information-and-resources/facts-and-guides
During these conversations, I also shared some concrete examples about how the mental health conditions that I live with impact me.
For example, one of the mental health conditions that I live with is Major Depressive Disorder, which means that I often don’t have the energy to participate in social events. By sharing this particular example with my family, they were gradually able to understand that some of my behaviours were the result of Major Depressive Disorder and not because I didn’t want to spend time with them - which is something that they were starting to think 💜
As I sat here thinking about some of the things that you shared with us, I just ever so gently wondered if there was someone in your life who could perhaps support you to have these conversations with your partner? For example, sometimes people invite their loved ones to join them in some of their therapy appointments so that they can share some of their concerns, ask questions and receive some additional support around the issues that are causing them distress and concern 💜
Given everything that’s been happening for you, I just wanted to take a moment to share a few resources - just in case you felt that you needed some additional support 💜
The first resource that I wanted to share with you is SANE’s ‘drop in service.’
Basically, ‘SANE drop-in services are staffed by qualified team of counsellors and people with lived experience of mental health issues who will provide you with free digital and telehealth support, information and referrals.’
I’ve reached out to this service numerous times and I’ve always had a really positive experience where I felt listened to and really well supported 😊
I’ve included the link to this particular service below, just in case you would like to explore this further 💜
https://www.sane.org/get-support/drop-in-service
The second resource that I thought maybe helpful for you is SANE’s ‘guided service.’
Essentially, ‘SANE’s free guided service combines our range of digital and telehealth supports, tailored to the needs of people affected by complex mental health issues.’
I’ve included the link to this particular service below, just in case this is something that’s of interest to you 💜
The final resource that I thought maybe helpful for you is a service called the Suicide Call Back Service 💜
Basically, the Suicide Call Back Service offers free professional telephone and online counselling to support people who are at risk of suicide, concerned about someone who is at risk or bereaved by suicide.
They also provide some great information about mental health issues such as ‘how depression can impact your relationships’ and ‘supporting someone who may be suicidal’ which you can access on their website 💜
The Suicide Call Back Service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and as such, you’re always more than welcome to contact them on: 1300 659 467.
I’ve included the link to this particular service below, just in case you would like to browse through their website:
https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/lost-someone-to-suicide/
Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Paint that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 😊
Please know that you’re always welcome to reach out to us here whenever you need to 💜
Take kind and gentle care of yourself,
ShiningStar 💜
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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
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