Is this normal?

[breakingapart]

I just found out that my dad may not be my real dad at all, but instead someone else. My little brother was insulting the man my aunt told me is my dad. I told him to shut up, but he didn't and I got really pissed. Instead of taking it out on him, I hit myself so hard that I left bruises.

Then I frustrated at something (I cannot even remember what) and wound up biting myself really, really hard on the arm. (So hard that I left a bite mark that lasted for two weeks.)

Looking at my bnew bruises and bite marks, I read somewhere in a book that my old teacher gave to me that this type of behavior is normal for people under stress but I am not sure. Is this an effect of stress or the disorder?

[ILADVOCATE]

Well since the original poster may very well be in a different forum I'd say to you that its not a matter of "strength". Bipolar disorder is genetic. Its a matter of living with a disability and what you do in life. Strength to me involves how you carry on in life in not putting artificial limitations on yourself and accepting parts of your disability you can't change and finding accomodations around them. I certainly didn't like what happenned to me as a young person having acquired schizoaffective disorder but once I knew what it was and that it was treatable it was a big relief to me. I had been very frightened I had "bad thoughts" and once I knew they were psychotic thoughts in actuality and there was medication to treat them I felt much better. Actually "feelings of guilt" are very common in depression or the depressive phase of bipolar. Before recovery, I always had a feeling that I had done something wrong even when nothing had happenned. It was hard for me to realize those feelings weren't real as well. It was only as treatment advanced in working for me that I understood them more.

[RichReligion]

LOL. My aunts used to tell me that when I was 9 or so. I believed them cuz I didnt look like him as much as my lil sis did..He turned out to be her real father, but......
He changed cuz he thought that I was sweatin it, but I wasn't..My father is the one who had been around for all those years, and that's him..But his conscience is eatin him. He accuses be off not acceptin him, sometimes; he's says he heard that I said that he wasn't my pops..not true..His guilty conscience.

Its been a snowball effect cuz er'thing just came down on me at once. I never knew hat I could fall to a mental disease; I'm way stronger than this.

[LeftCoastChick]

If you are doing self harm, like biting to relieve stress, it's really important you talk to someone.  You are only 16 and this is a shock to you. You said you have new bruises and bites, so I'm suspecting this isn't the first time you've done that. Can you see your family doctor, or call a teen hotline? It would be at least something more local, and because you are underage there are programs that can help you okay? Once you become 18 it's a whole different ballgame. Check in your white or yellow pages for teen hotlines, they are always in the front of the book. Do you have a counselor already, or  could you go to your school's counselor?

I'm also going to give you a link for the teen depression forum, it might be a bit better for you.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/185

Like bulldozer said, it's better to hit a pillow, scream or anything then hurting yourself right? Eventually your marks could become permanent, and later on, you'll feel better and really regret doing them. Hang in there, it does get better!

[bernie40]

Hi,  I think this is down to the situation.  You received shocking news followed by taunting.  At your age it is common to expel inner anger by hurting yourself when under extreme stress.  You do need to speak about this to your doctor though and certainly don't let this become a habit whenever things are stressful.

If you ever feel that kind of anger again then take it out on something soft like a pillow.  Sounds silly but it does help.

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes that can be an upsetting experience but the self injury you describe is part of bipolar or perhaps borderline personality disorder (that is common for that disability, the term sounds disturbing but it often involves this, look it up online for more information). Only a psychiatrist could provide a diagnosis. I would strongly suggest you speak to someone about this. I know people have provided you with crisis hotlines and you might want to follow up but also somewhere that can provide you a referral to a local walk in clinic that sees people on an outpatient basis. And you would not have to tell your family or you could tell them later. But you should seek help.