Discussion How to avoid a 5150?

[Politecat]

Late at night (~4am) I called some of my friends to reach out for help during an anxiety attack. I'm now worried that he in turn will call the police and that I can possibly be involuntarily hospitalized, what can I do if he does, and how can I prevent him from doing so in the future?
Also another question, IF I do get 5150'd can the police enter my house and take me? And would it be a smart idea to run away from them if they do try to take me away?

Just for some more context, he's called the police to do a welfare check. At one point he and some mutual friends had an intervention with me to try to get me some help. So it's not entirely out of character for him to possibly call the police and report a possible suicide.

 

[Redt2go]

I don't really know anything about this but I wouldn't run.

 

[Johnnythefox]

 

[NumbItAll]

Why would you want to avoid a 5150?

Sorry, this isn't helpful. Best of luck...

 

[Hopeless_soul]

I would call him pretending that I feel a lot better. You could talk him out by saying some 'self-help' bullshit like it's normal to struggle sometimes; but that you are a warrior, and so on, and that there's no need for any type of intervention.

If anything happens, I wouldn't run away though. That'd confirm your friend 's suspicion.

 

[TheCrow]

I would avoid any convos with friends that give them that feeling of "I'd feel so guilty if something happened and I didn't tell someone," such as any talks of suicide or calling in the middle of the night. I had AZ's version of a 51/50 put on me by family members, and a cop showed up at my apartment and took me to the hospital.

 

[Smilla]

I've seen this asshole Katy or Kathy. Kati, that's it.

God I can't stand her.

 

[TheCrow]

I've seen this asshole Katy or Kathy. Kati, that's it.

God I can't stand her.

Is she the therapist that comes on Shane Dawson's channel sometimes?

 

[Smilla]

Is she the therapist that comes on Shane Dawson's channel sometimes?

No idea.

She's the best example of a pro life therapist to ever hit YouTube, including posting a video calling suicide selfish.

Typical pop psychology bro mentality but probably appeals to young women.

 

[TheCrow]

No idea.

She's the best example of a pro life therapist to ever hit YouTube, including posting a video calling suicide selfish.

Typical pop psychology bro mentality but probably appeals to young women.

Ugh. I will NOT be watching that noise.

 

[Johnnythefox]

No idea.

She's the best example of a pro life therapist to ever hit YouTube, including posting a video calling suicide selfish.

Typical pop psychology bro mentality but probably appeals to young women.

I just Googled 5150 and she came up, I've never heard of her or seen her before. Lol

 

[Hunter]

I've seen her stuff on YouTube before. I wouldn't expect her - or really any professional therapist - to ever support a person's right to end their life.

Whenever I hear a therapist say, "We're doing this to keep you safe," all I hear is, "I'm trying to protect my professional license in case you're dead and I have to prove that I followed the laws around therapeutic standards of practice."

 

[Hunter]

OP, I'm not sure what territory you're in but a 5150 is normally something only a designated professional can initiate. This means a suicide/talk hotline, a chat line, mental health professional, or a doctor/psychiatrist. If it's a non- professional, regular old joe freaking out about your suicidality, the most they can typically do is call the cops and initiate a welfare check.

The cops who then visit you can decide if you're suicidal ("a danger to yourself") or not, so if they show up you'd want to deny any ideation at all. At that point if you seem ok, they're likely to leave you alone - barring the possibility they're just assholes on a power trip. If you're in some small town and you have a "history" of welfare checks/5150's then that would obviously increase your risk of getting forced into a hold. Legally, they cannot enter and search your home without a warrant, which would normally take time for a court to process.

Unfortunately these commitments are the reason why you can never be fully transparent about having an actual plan with a therapist because you'll always risk getting put away. Even if you really trust your therapist and have a longtime trust established, I would always opt to downplay my plans. Been there, done that. They tell you you should "talk about suicide" in order to combat stigma... hell, they might even genuinely care for you, but they care more about their license. Don't risk it. Always deny when the cops show.

 

[TheCrow]

I've seen her stuff on YouTube before. I wouldn't expect her - or really any professional therapist - to ever support a person's right to end their life.

Whenever I hear a therapist say, "We're doing this to keep you safe," all I hear is, "I'm trying to protect my professional license in case you're dead and I have to prove that I followed the laws around therapeutic standards of practice."

EXACTLY.

 

[ron_g]

Legally, they cannot enter and search your home without a warrant, which would normally take time for a court to process.

Even if cops believe there is an imminent danger to you?

 

[Hunter]

Even if cops believe there is an imminent danger to you?

Even if they think that there's an imminent danger to you, they still don't have the right to go through things without a warrant.They may book you and take a quick look around your place visually, but they can't go through your shit. At least not here in the US.