you poor thing. i feel your pain. I was there once. raised my three sibs, helped my mom with her stress and made sure my abusive stepdad didn't get to hurt my siblings and such as that. Well, we have different issues but I've been there. It's hard when you have to keep the fmaily shit together and not have anything for you. But MM is right. You gotta be a bit selfish. It's taken me years to finally get that (i didn't move out of the family home til I was 24 cause I was too worried about my siblings to risk leaving them in that house) but you need to learn to focus on you when it's important.

and it is! You're 16 and your parents need to be just that; parents. What they're doing is selfish and not right at all. I never went the cutting route but I hope you do get help for that. I understand it helps with the stress or something but there are other ways to do so. Your bf being supportive is one of them (and YAY for supportive bf!) But if they get divorced, who knows what'll happen but you're at an age where you can also have a say, like MM said.

Youth doesn't come back. And it's a shame to not live your life because you have to fill shoes not meant for you to be filling. do you best hun. Even though I don't know you personally, I'm rooting for you. Trust me, once you're able to do you things, everything is better. And even though I haven't lived with my family for about 6 years, I still help them out when I can. But it's also changed how they work as well. It just takes time but you can do it! Good luck!!

poor thing. MM is right though, you are too young to be taking all of this on. that is not your job. your job is to be 16. the last thing you want is to look back on this period in your life as....what you have just described. if your situation isn't going to change, then change how you experience the situation. change your experience in the situation. make it a better one. it's easier than you think. what is going on with the cutting is that is your current choice of changing your experience in the situation. cutting is the result of an extremely intense build up of anxiety, and cutting is the manifestation of that. in other words, the cutting is what YOUR stress looks like to the outside world. all that mess that is made with the cutting is what is happening inside you. that's the only way you have been able to figure out how to change your experience, because when you cut, something happens that is called an endorphin release. those are our body's natural painkillers, and when our body is in a high state of stress and pain, they fire away. before you cut your stress is sending messages to the brain that you are in a high anxiety state, so those endorphins have already started to get to work, when you cut they are released and it's a pretty intense almost euphoric feeling. that's what makes you feel better, thats the only way you know how to change your experience. so what you need to do is simply find a better way to create that escape from your situation with the cutting. a part time job maybe? a boxing class? a course or workshop in one of your passions? something that is just FOR YOU and all ABOUT YOU and gives you an outlet to unload some of this energy in a way that is productive and lets you be 16. start with journalling if you dont know how to change the experience, and explore through writing what it is that you might want to do that is just about you. next time, instead of picking up the blade pick up a pen and a piece of paper and just start writing out what you are thinking. get it out that way, even if you hate writing, its a tremendous release not unlike the one you get from cutting. write a letter to the latest person thats pissed you off if you have to (dont send it) just get it out. you already KNOW that you need to take care of you, you've just picked a really bad way to do it. thats okay. i did a residency for my masters in psych in a childrens clinic and worked with heaps of beautiful young ladies just like you, and you are not alone. change your experience by changing your experience, you are more in control here than you think. it's your life, you choose how you want to live it. a therapist may be just the answer, just that all about you thing that nobody can interfere with or bother you about. never forget that you can never take care of anybody else until you are okay yourself. you are too young to learn that lesson, so please honey, go and live your amazing beautiful life! its YOURS.

E-hugs for being your brothers’ rock! It takes a special person to do that. Life can occasionally be filled with the unknown & it sorta sucks at times. Just know that it CAN be better.

PLEASE hang on to your dreams tightly with both hands & chase them like there is no tomorrow. The best thing is life is having a career that you love & enjoy, I know I did. I toughed out some hard times getting there, but it was sooo worth it.

I’m sorry your parents aren’t there for you now. We can suck now and then, I know. Sometimes we just don’t think what we are doing, affects our kids so much. They do love you, even though they may have a hard time showing it. Maybe a simple, “Hey mom.., I love you” could be just want your mom & you may need, Your dad too.

You may not have control over what is going on right now, but your future is in your hands. How cool is that?

I've been there before. When I was 15, my father was an alcoholic, my parent's marriage was falling apart and they were having fights that sometimes ended in violence. At one point, my little sister was witness to my father pacing the front porch firing a pistol threatening to end his own life. When I was 17, they finally separated and I raised my 3 younger siblings for years after. You're not alone. Looking back, I know now that, while as the oldest we feel that we have this obligation to keep the peace and take care of our family (especially the siblings) you need to take care of you. It wasn't my place to shoulder the responsibility and I knew it but I didn't see any other option at the time. You DO have options though and there IS help for you out there. I admire your strength and empathize with your situation but follow his advice, he's right. You can be there for your family but it's not your role to play as the glue that holds it all together. I wish the very best to you, good luck.

Please take his advice now. One of the best things a person can learn who cares so much is how to be selfish and worry about themselves sometimes. I didn't have anyone to tell me this and I like you, took on the emotional load of my family while neglecting my own. It led me to close off myself to others and relationally, especially right now I'm little more than a wreck because of that.

You can't save the world. And most importantly, you can't save your family. I know that might sound like more of a challenge than anything but it's the truth. First focus on yourself and your own problems because without doing so you can't help those who can be helped because you won't have any strength or faith in yourself or in the world in general, to help you get along.

And talk to someone. Friends and close family help, but talking to a medical advisor helps. It might take a while to find someone that you're comfortable with but keep at it and you'll find someone who can help you because like MM said, these problems that you're going through are bigger than you. I just really urge you now to get that help because I'm going through and have gone through very emotionally draining experiences and it makes me feel as though I've lived a lifetime while I'm only 20. I just would hate to know that someone else is going through something so similiar because of how painful I know it can be.

I wish you nothing but the best.

It gets better I promise. And at the risk of sounding clique, you are going to be an awesomely strong person because of this.