[Storyteller]

Not sure if I'm coming to this conversation late, but just in case you're still checking back for replies...

I get that you're concerned about telling your parents. They may care very much about this, but that's no guarantee that they would know how to handle it well enough to support you in the way you need them to.

As for your friend, well, perhaps the same problem applies to him too - maybe he would know how to respond, maybe he wouldn't. That's so often the risk we take when we want to tell our loved ones about big issues we're dealing with. It's rather cruel that we mainly feel this about the things we really need help with.

You know your parents and friend much better than we do (of course), but here's what I will tentatively suggest: tell your parents. They're quite a lot older than you and have seen a lot of things in their life, meaning that they have more access to support and resources. And if they don't, then they have the option to find out.

As far as your friend goes, I'm in two minds as to whether to say tell him or not - the fact that you said he can be an attention-seeker suggests that he's calling out for something, himself. That said, maybe talking to him about your own troubles will open up a whole new depth to the friendship where you end up supporting each other. Sometimes it isn't about getting a solution to the problem; sometimes just knowing that someone else knows what we're going through can be a huge help.

Whatever you decide to do with the above, I'd suggest that you look around your local area for help. There are low-price or free counselling services in some towns and cities, and counsellers are specially trained to be able to handle revelations like, "I self-harm."

Having said that, going to counselling, especially for the first time, can be scary. Just getting to the point where you're sitting opposite a counsellor is a journey in itself. If you're at all reluctant to do it because you're not sure what you're letting yourself in for, feel free to ask, either me or generally on this forum - lots of people here will have seen a counsellor/therapist.

Finally, I will also say that you might find the companionship you need right here, on this forum. There's no guarantee of getting somebody here with great technical skill in helping with self-harm, but that may not be what you need. What I'm trying to say in quite a clunky way is, try opening up here and seeing how much help you get here. The scope of an online forum is quite limited, but perhaps some good quality friendships here may be the best medicine.

Take care of yourself, including your injuries.