:help: I have been off my meds for 3 weeks. I am thinking of getting a tattoo. I never in my life wanted a tattoo. I'm in a mized state, and now I am getting a tattoo. Not a great choice, but it works for the moment. I hope I wont regret it. However I need too.. I am afarid a tattoo is my other side to cutting. I started again. I am no sure if this is a good idea, or if I should wait until my mood is stable. It feels right. I know impuslive behavior is a big thing with different mental illness, but idk. I was hoping someone would have advice before I go an wreck my whole world, and waste money. Thanks. :help:
I suggest you wait until your moods even out. I think that you may want a "release", the same kind of feeling you get when you cut. As you have probably figured out, impulsivity can be a sign of bipolar, and can lead to trouble down the road. If you don't mind me asking, why are you off your meds?
The fact that you are questioning should let you know that getting a tatoo is perhaps not a good decision at the moment. Wait until your mood is stabilized before you make any major decisions. Out of curiosity, why did you stop your meds in the first place. I only ask because when I don't take my meds for depression and anxiety like I should I kind of find my world spinning out of kilter. I hate taking them but it is better than the alternative... Just some food for thought. Sorry it's late and I did not realize that TraceElement already asked why you were off your meds.
Have you thought about getting a piercing or two instead? Much less permanent than a tattoo. There can be done loads of really cool piercings that most people don't know about; you can go talk to a professional piercer to get some suggestions
^What? No, don't get any piercings and don't get any tattoos. Clearly you are worried and acknowledge that you are doing something reckless. If you have stopped taking medication without informing your doctor, you can become very ill, physically and mentally. If you are sincerely looking for help, contact your primary physician immediately. Until you can schedule an appointment with your doctor, tell a family member or close friend so you can have someone to talk to.
I was seeing a private aprn. however, she is the hardest person to make an appt. with so I am at a clinic. (they are amazing) we have been trying to call my old aprn for my records and she refuses to give them, so there was an opening for medication management but now it's closed. Now I have to go and find another aprn,we are trying to look but it's hard. So i'm cutting again (not really bad at all), disorganized thoughts, mood swings, hallucinations etc.. it sucks.. all of a sudden I have an urger for a tattoo.. not my norm. I hate them. but now I want one. I'm itching for one. :bang: ---------- Post added 11th Aug 2012 at 11:19 PM ---------- In all seriousness, getting a tattoo has never been a "thing" for me. I hate the idea. Now I feel impulsive. Anything reckless sounds good. :-( :tears: :bang::icon_sad::dry::icon_redf
I'm sorry to hear that your aprn is being an ass about the records being released. Please check this link Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine If I read it correctly, she has to Release upon request at least a summary of your information when it is requested. You may have to submit it in writing but if it will speed things along so you can get the help you need then it is worth the hassle. I'll keep my fingers crossed that things will resolve quickly. Hang in there !
Have you told them at the clinic that you are self-harming? They may be able to take emergency action to get you back on medication. Tell them that you are self-harming and that you feel impulsive and out of control. Make sure they know that you are thinking of doing permanent things like tattoos that you know you don't really want. Do not get a tattoo, and please try not to cut. When you feel like self-harming, or if you just need to talk to someone, consider calling the Trevor Lifeline, 1 866 488 7386.
:icon_sad::icon_sad::dry: i told her. she knows. she doesn't think im at a dangerous zone. i feel like "shit" i almost slept with a complete stranger, and im a virgin. i currently feel dead, idk....i am already cutting. i had stopped for two years and two days ago started..the scissors were too dull.. im not manic, i don't know if im out of control. two weeks ago i was having awful thoughts:eek:. as of today i just shut down..people say i look tired but i just don't feel like waking up and doing anything. ugh..:icon_sad: i keep going back and forth with tattoos..i might just go do it.. i have money but it shouldnt be used for it.. i feel impulsive to the "t":tears::bang::help::***::eusa_doh::tantrum::***::badgrin::eusa_naug
About the tattoo urges, maybe you can think of doing an henna tattoo. I don't know if you can get those in your area, it's traditional of North Africa but I know you can get one in France too for example. They stay for about a month and then fade away. Another thing you can think about is also to buy fake tattoo. Some brands do really nice ones. I know it's different from doing something impulsive but you said yourself that it's not like you. Maybe getting a fake tattoo or henna tattoo would be a way to trick your own mind and calm down the urges. Aside from this, I don't think it's a good sign that you're cutting again, especially if you managed to stop for two years. Relapses in cutting are not unusual, even years after you stop (I still deal with urges sometimes and it's been 8 years since I last cut), but that is usually the sign that something is wrong and that you're falling back into your old coping patterns. Maybe it would be a good idea to call your doctor again that you're self-harming and that it's becoming bad. If she keeps not listening, calling your GP or going to the psychiatric ER would be an idea. It would also be a good idea to get rid of whatever you're using to cut. If it's razor blades, throw them away. If it's something you can't really get rid of, then at least put it in another room (and not in your bedroom or bathroom). The time needed to go and find it can be enough to allow yourself to deal with the urges and not to cut. When the urges are hitting, it's better not to stay alone. Call a trusted friend and ask them to come and pick you up or to stay on the phone with you until you're done with the urges. If you can't call anyone from your family or friends, call a helpline (like Trevor lifeline as Ianthe suggested). You can also try to do sport to release the anger and frustration : take your running shoes and go for a run, punch into a punching ball, jump with a jump-rope... Doing sport also enables your body to produce endorphins that can help your mood to lift. There are also a few tricks you can try to help you deal with the urges. I'm sure you know some already but just in case : - slapping a rubber band against your wrist - clutching ice - taking a cold shower - writing on your wrist with red ink - writing the name of someone you care about on your wrist But you can try other stuff. Anything that is stopping you from cutting is good. My personal thing was to tear-up papers into the smallest pieces possible, color each square of squared paper in a different color (it helped me to concentrate on something else... go figure) and wearing gloves to prevent me from scratching my wrist until I bleed. If you need to talk about it (or anything else) you're welcome to contact me or any advisor you're feeling comfortable with, that's what we're here for. Take care and let us know how you're doing. Cécile
I have a number of friends who experience bipolar disorder. When they're feeling manic, they go into lockdown. They either won't leave the house, or go to a friend's home who will keep them safe. Worst-case scenario they check into a hospital. Mania can be as dangerous in its way as depression.
I want the tattoo for the pain, because it is like cutting. Idk, maybe I'm fine, maybe I'm cured. ugh. today I'm okay. im in a happy mood. tomorrow it could be worse. at night , i swear i feel like im gonna die, or kill someone. ugh. which is not like me. fudge. i don't want to the tattoo for the right reasons. and it keeps changing with my mood. i should go to the er psych. hospital. if i go today they won't keep me because im not out of control, however i am at night, or sometimes during the day. college starts in two weeks and i don't want to miss them.. ugh..
Why don't you prepare to go, and then at night when you are feeling like that, you can go then? I don't really understand why you can't get your meds. It seems to me like the doctors should have been on top of that--especially for psychiatric meds that usually take a little while to even start working. Why can't the people at the clinic prescribe for you? It doesn't make sense to me. Your meds were working, so they really should give them to you.
They are trying. Getting my records is an obstacle. Hopefully we will try to see someone this week. When I stopped seeing my old shrink they had an opening they were calling her for 2wks with no response. So the opening was closed. A lot of other places that take me insurance wants me to be in therapy at their clinic/program. im already enrolled, and am not changing. so we are trying to find someone. i guess i can get a bag ready.. this feels awful. i havent been hospitalized for a year..
i don't feel sucicdal. just having thoughts. I don't want to go. i dont want to check in with anyone either. im moving into my own apartment this week. i cant screw it up. but a tattoo is still a bad idea because i dont want it for the right reasons.. uh..
I understand this must be terribly frustrating for you, put at this point, I think going to the hospital is the better option for you. Hopefully, you won't have to stay there for too long. Take good care of yourself (*hug*), Cécile
Ok first off I don't know much of Bipolar disorder, but cutting ourself and getting a tattoo. Here is my experience (I've never really cut myself, but I did get a tattoo, so hopefully it will be of some use) Getting a tattoo, you must remember, removing it afterwards, may scar your skin and can be very painful as it is done through lasers. Getting a tattoo can become addictive. Why? While i was getting mine done, during the process, it does hurt a little, but most of the times, its a strange kind of sensation, that makes you want to get more and more. I had to urge every fibre of my body in not getting another one while the tattoo artist who did mine was busy on it. At times I had to take my mind off everything around me, just to stop thinking on what to get next. Mine isn't in colour (thank G for that) and it isn't big. Its a drawing of a tiger prowling, being in that heaven line it looks like it's walking between some reeds, waiting to pounce on anything. Kinda like my personality when I do get very angry. But usually I'm a very OK guy to get along with every one.
Don't do it! I have always been a very safe and boring person all my life. Never took risks or did anything exciting. I don't even have my ears pierced. Yet for some reason last year, I kept having these phases where I'd go crazy about wanting a tattoo. I picked out a design I wanted, where I'd put it, and I was searching for shops online and all that. I spent a lot of time looking at tattoos online, reading Yelp for tattoo parlor reviews, and told myself I was really going to do it soon. Then after a few days, I started to hate the idea of having a tattoo. I had two of these phases over the period of several months. Each time, in the end, I'm glad I never went through with it. I really would've regretted it. When getting a tattoo, you really have to think long and hard. You could pick out a design and stare at it for months and months. If you find yourself getting sick of it or not really liking the idea of having it permanently engraved on your body, then you'll know it's not a good idea. It's especially not a good idea if you're not in a good state of mind. Don't use it to compensate for something else. That's not what it's meant for and you'll end up regretting it.
