It also depends on what you take. I have taken too many SSRIs a few times, because it knocks me out for 24 hours. Sometimes this is the only way I can escape from how I am feeling and the things that go round my head. I know the risks and I don't usually take more than x amount, but sometimes I have had to go to A&E because I have become seriously tachycardic and I feel short of breath. I walk to A&E or get a taxi, by the way, I don't call an ambulance! Mainly, with my cutting (which I do to relieve tension and also as a form of punishment), I do it where it doesn't show and I dress it myself. If I can't stop the bleeding I'll get it checked out. Again, I would drive to A&E, not call an ambulance. The times I have taken paracetamol overdoses I have had full knowledge that I may die if I do not get the parvolex infusion. This means that, when I take the od, I am already probably considering going to A&E. I know this doesn't make sense for most people reading this, but I go through times where I need to be somewhere safe, and 20 hours in a hospital bed attached to a drip is about as safe as it gets. I don't demand anything from the staff, they just let me be and I get the escape I needed. If, at the end of the infusion, I am still feeling really sh*t, I am sometimes admitted to a psych ward for a short respite. It is via these methods that I am able to function, ironically. If I couldn't take the time out or relieve the stress, I would not be able to work... Since these methods are not the best solution, I am going into a Therapeutic Community to learn better coping skills. After that year, I hope to return to teaching and be as happy in my free time as I am when I am teaching. I hope this hasn't upset or offended anyone, but I am trying to be open and honest about why I (and many others) do these things.