A Plea to Medical Professionals
When I come to you for treatment for self-injury please believe what I say. Please recognise that I am trying to act responsibly in a difficult situation. Please treat me gently. Please understand that I am scared. Please don’t assume you can gauge how much I am struggling by the severity of the injury. Please, if you can, offer me somewhere quiet to wait, and try to keep the number of different staff I see to a minimum.
When I come to you for treatment for self-injury please explain what you’re doing, and why. Please be aware that the words you use may be upsetting to hear. Please use anaesthetic and analgesia as appropriate, and consider whether antibiotics are necessary. Please don’t let me overhear you discussing me or my case. Please allow me the freedom to talk too. Please take any worries I share seriously.
When I come to you for treatment for self-injury please offer me further help and support, and please respect my decision if I decline. Please remember that, like anyone else, I am entitled to receive care and to refuse care. Please give me the same standard of treatment as any other patient. Please see that I am more than my injuries.