I am a sixteen-year-old girl. I am very timid and I don’t have any friends. This started four years ago.... All my friends distanced themselves from me, and now I am alone. Sometimes I cut myself. I hurt myself, but I don’t want to continue doing that.... I wasn’t like that before. I was very friendly, but everything changed. I want to be happy again, but it’s really difficult for me. My parents don’t understand me. They think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I have thought of killing myself many times, but I don’t want to do that. I just want to stop feeling alone and to have friends.

Dear Friend,

Thank you for telling us your story. We are sorry for all that you are going through.

You say that your parents think you are crazy. Maybe you believe that because they want to take you to a psychiatrist. Many people misunderstand what psychiatrists do, believing that they only treat crazy people. The truth is that psychiatrists are special doctors for the brain, just as there are doctors who treat only the heart, others who treat the lungs, and others that treat the skin.

Sometimes our brains can have too much of one chemical and not enough of another. Brain chemicals can cause people to be depressed or to be anxious. That doesn’t mean that the person is crazy. It just means that they need a little medication to regulate their brain chemicals. Psychiatrists are the ones who have been trained in regulating those chemicals.

Cutting yourself is a signal that you need to have your brain chemicals regulated. Medication can help you stop cutting yourself, and it can also help you to stop thinking of killing yourself. You think that you are lonely and sad because you have no friends, but actually it is your brain chemicals that are causing you to be sad. If you get some medication to help you, you will feel better and then it will be easier to make and keep friends. Please tell your doctor about your thoughts of suicide and your cutting. He or she can recommend a good psychiatrist who can help you.

God is your Heavenly Father, but He also wants to be your Friend. He is with you no matter how lonely you feel. You can speak to Him just as you would speak to any friend. Tell Him how you are feeling, and ask Him to give you the courage to follow through with whatever treatment your doctor recommends. Please let us know how you are doing by sending us an email message to mensaje@conciencia.net. We care about you and want you to be happy again.

We wish you the best,

Linda

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