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Questions about confidentiality
SpaceOtter
Community Champion Posts: 890 Part of The Mix Family
Hi! Sorry for bothering you with another post, i just wanted to ask a question without people having to read through my long rambles.
TW self harm!
Will a mental health proffesional break confidentiality over self harm eventhough im over 18?
More context in spoiler but more potentialy triggering detail.
It all feels like such a mess. More than anything id feel comfortable telling the people at college. But im pretty sure they will break confidentiality, theyve already gotten close to breaking it in the past.
I dont want my parents to know and thats never going to change. It just makes reaching out to others tricky.
Thank you for reading. Sending hugs
TW self harm!
Will a mental health proffesional break confidentiality over self harm eventhough im over 18?
More context in spoiler but more potentialy triggering detail.
This week I started doing a certain type of self harm again after two years free.
The first time i met the mental health proffesional ivd been seeing I mentioned by harmful stims and he now also knows about the suicidal thoughts.
But i never mentioned the self harm. It wasnt a problem at the time, its stupid but i forgot about it when he asked the first time if id ever harmed myself. I was just so focused on the suicidal thoughts. By the time i realised my mistake it felt too late.
I planned to tell him next time i see him.
It felt easier when i could tell him i was 2 years clean.
But this week i messed up.
Now im worried. Its not in the past anymore. If i tell him what happens? Would he tell my mum eventhough im over 18, and do they ask to see?
Ive read through a lot on the internet about confidentiality, i even found the mix page on it. But im worried about the fact he knows ive been having intense suicidal thoughts, will that make things more complicated.
The first time i met the mental health proffesional ivd been seeing I mentioned by harmful stims and he now also knows about the suicidal thoughts.
But i never mentioned the self harm. It wasnt a problem at the time, its stupid but i forgot about it when he asked the first time if id ever harmed myself. I was just so focused on the suicidal thoughts. By the time i realised my mistake it felt too late.
I planned to tell him next time i see him.
It felt easier when i could tell him i was 2 years clean.
But this week i messed up.
Now im worried. Its not in the past anymore. If i tell him what happens? Would he tell my mum eventhough im over 18, and do they ask to see?
Ive read through a lot on the internet about confidentiality, i even found the mix page on it. But im worried about the fact he knows ive been having intense suicidal thoughts, will that make things more complicated.
It all feels like such a mess. More than anything id feel comfortable telling the people at college. But im pretty sure they will break confidentiality, theyve already gotten close to breaking it in the past.
I dont want my parents to know and thats never going to change. It just makes reaching out to others tricky.
Thank you for reading. Sending hugs
You're awesome!
2
Comments
I'm not too sure about the answer to your question but I've been told that they have to break confidentiality if they think there could be harm done to yourself or someone else.
I personally believe it would be best if they knew about your self harm as since they are a trained professional they will better know how to approach the situation, the more he knows about you the more he can help. You could tell him that you don't want your parents to know and I believe he should understand.
Also you're not bothering anyone with your posts, we are here to listen, that's what this place is for. So if you feel like rambling about anything then I will be here to listen.
Sending hugs. Take care!
Youre very right. I know deep down its very important that they know. Im just so worried about confidentiality getting broken. Its really tiring having to be careful with what i do and dont share while still trying to be as honest as possible.
Take care JJLemon and thanks again!
Feelings surrounding confidentiality can be really tricky to navigate. It's understandable that you might feel apprehensive about sharing this personal and sensitive information, especially when you are concerned that this might be shared.
I would like to echo @JJLemon18 in saying that despite the nerves you might feel around doing so, it would be a really great next step for you to share what has been happening for you recently regarding self-harm. You deserve to receive support and care. Open communication will help you to receive this.
To relieve some of your worries, perhaps you can ask your therapist or the staff at college about their confidentiality protocol? They typically provide you with this at the start of therapy, but all therapists should be more than willing to share this with you at any time that you request.
Normally, a therapist will break confidentiality when they consider yourself to be at imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, and they tend to endeavor to include you in this process. It's best though if you run through this with your therapist, as their protocol may be individual to them.
I am going to attach some resources regarding self-harm, including guidance as to how to manage these urges, if this may be of interest to you:
https://harmless.org.uk/resource-hub/
https://www.nshn.co.uk/
Take care.