I screamed at the volunteer at the suicide hotline

[Allegory]

I have called dozens of times over the years. I have called at least 6 times in 2019 alone. I never know what I am going to get. On a few occasions I was able to get in touch with someone willing to talk to me but I have had many terrible experiences.

They've hung up on me twice saying that my situation wasn't bad enough and they had other phone calls to attend to. One person told me that I would go to hell if I killed myself. One person was annoyed because I struggled to stop crying and she said something like, "You called to talk but you aren't saying anything." They are often confused or impatient when I say I don't want them to send the police and just want to talk. I've already been involuntarily hospitalized twice and it only makes things worse.

My therapist emphasized that she is not a crisis center and I needed to call the hotline if I needed help outside of our scheduled one hour weekly session. She said to hang up and call again until I find someone who is willing to listen.

I did that tonight. I called three times. Once they figured out that I did not have a gun to my head at that very moment and I already had a therapist they tried to end the conversation. The third time this happened, when the person I spoke to said "you're already receiving care" and that they had other calls to attend to I lost my shit. I screamed as loudly as I could into the phone and hung up. I don't feel bad that I did it. Why tell me to call a volunteer who has minimal training on working with suicidal people and is unwilling to talk to me for 15 minutes?

 

[Rachel74]

This is why I'd never call the Samaritans! Same old shit there too!

 

[not4us]

you wanna talk or you wanna die?

 

[Wreck-it-Riley]

The help lines available to me are the same. Even the specialized ones for minority groups is terrible.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I've actually found the Samaritans to be mostly OK as long as you don't expect them to fix anything. They have listened and are anonymous. I only ever had one chap who said "Shit I can't deal with his call someone else "

 

[Rachel74]

I've actually found the Samaritans to be mostly OK as long as you don't expect them to fix anything. They have listened and are anonymous. I only ever had one chap who said "Shit I can't deal with his call someone else "

Mind are pretty good too.

 

[woxihuanni]

Lord, I cannot imagine calling those fuckers. Come and vent here.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Lord, I cannot imagine calling those fuckers. Come and vent here.

Well I do, now

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Sigh. Sometimes, death IS the only way. That's the sad truth. All those glass, half-full fuckers can have their glasses shoved down their fucking throats.

I don't mean to get angry, but it really is frustrating to hopelessly keep searching for hope and constantly being redirected to another for help. Just being passed off as another's burden. Oh well.

One day, when people really open up their frickin eyes and cut the shit will they finally accept euthanasia.

 

[Rachel74]

Lord, I cannot imagine calling those fuckers. Come and vent here.

I didn't think this even was around then. If you mentioned suicide in the 90s you was locked up!

Sigh. Sometimes, death IS the only way. That's the sad truth. All those glass, half-full fuckers can have their glasses shoved down their fucking throats.

I don't mean to get angry, but it really is frustrating to hopelessly keep searching for hope and constantly being redirected to another for help. Just being passed off as another's burden. Oh well.

One day, when people really open up their frickin eyes and cut the shit will they finally accept euthanasia.

They will only do that when there is a buck to be made. Keeping you alive makes them money. The government, drug companies etc. You dead means nothing to them.

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Really? I always thought suicidal failures like myself were just a financial burden and people are still too chickenshit to embrace euthanasia and are still easily swayed by crazy religious nuts and Hollywood's romanticized ideas of "finding light and hope thru the darkness" etc. Fuckers.

I can't really imagine failures like myself being able to turn a profit for them. We'd only be living in perpetual debt; is that really worth anything?

 

[JimFord99]

Cos this is about money. once you are dead you are a statistic. If you are alive you are an item which needs to be marketed. Society sucks.

 

[Rachel74]

Really? I always thought suicidal failures like myself were just a financial burden and people are still too chickenshit to embrace euthanasia and are still easily swayed by crazy religious nuts and Hollywood's romanticized ideas of "finding light and hope thru the darkness" etc. Fuckers.

I can't really imagine failures like myself being able to turn a profit for them. We'd only be living in perpetual debt; is that really worth anything?

You pay taxes? You on meds? Then yes you are worth it for them! Especially the drug companies. They make billions from the likes of me and you.

 

[JimFord99]

Your person and your problems don't count, your money does. Sorry, but this is how society works these days.

 

[neilo99]

I have called dozens of times over the years. I have called at least 6 times in 2019 alone. I never know what I am going to get. On a few occasions I was able to get in touch with someone willing to talk to me but I have had many terrible experiences.

They've hung up on me twice saying that my situation wasn't bad enough and they had other phone calls to attend to. One person told me that I would go to hell if I killed myself. One person was annoyed because I struggled to stop crying and she said something like, "You called to talk but you aren't saying anything." They are often confused or impatient when I say I don't want them to send the police and just want to talk. I've already been involuntarily hospitalized twice and it only makes things worse.

My therapist emphasized that she is not a crisis center and I needed to call the hotline if I needed help outside of our scheduled one hour weekly session. She said to hang up and call again until I find someone who is willing to listen.

I did that tonight. I called three times. Once they figured out that I did not have a gun to my head at that very moment and I already had a therapist they tried to end the conversation. The third time this happened, when the person I spoke to said "you're already receiving care" and that they had other calls to attend to I lost my shit. I screamed as loudly as I could into the phone and hung up. I don't feel bad that I did it. Why tell me to call a volunteer who has minimal training on working with suicidal people and is unwilling to talk to me for 15 minutes?

Somebody said you would go to hell? Fucking scumbag. I didn't have a bad experience with Samaritans, they let me go on and on and didn't really preach too much

 

[Disintegration]

All of those hotlines are a joke. In everyone's best interest to stay away. They tried to slap a 1200 dollar bill on me after they came to my home without my consent. I never paid a dime. They are pure evil and do not have your best interests at heart.

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Aww shucks...so maybe my life DID have some meaning/purpose to it afterall! Some prick made a few bucks off me!

 

[FailedWoman]

I've found that suicide prevention in general is a joke. And quite a cruel one as well. It always gave me the impression that people like to see each other suffer.

 

[Nem]

Some of those help line volunteers should volunteer for assisted suicide
Peace/hugs

 

[Crushed_Innocence]

I have called dozens of times over the years. I have called at least 6 times in 2019 alone. I never know what I am going to get. On a few occasions I was able to get in touch with someone willing to talk to me but I have had many terrible experiences.

They've hung up on me twice saying that my situation wasn't bad enough and they had other phone calls to attend to. One person told me that I would go to hell if I killed myself. One person was annoyed because I struggled to stop crying and she said something like, "You called to talk but you aren't saying anything." They are often confused or impatient when I say I don't want them to send the police and just want to talk. I've already been involuntarily hospitalized twice and it only makes things worse.

My therapist emphasized that she is not a crisis center and I needed to call the hotline if I needed help outside of our scheduled one hour weekly session. She said to hang up and call again until I find someone who is willing to listen.

I did that tonight. I called three times. Once they figured out that I did not have a gun to my head at that very moment and I already had a therapist they tried to end the conversation. The third time this happened, when the person I spoke to said "you're already receiving care" and that they had other calls to attend to I lost my shit. I screamed as loudly as I could into the phone and hung up. I don't feel bad that I did it. Why tell me to call a volunteer who has minimal training on working with suicidal people and is unwilling to talk to me for 15 minutes?

I have called dozens of times over the years. I have called at least 6 times in 2019 alone. I never know what I am going to get. On a few occasions I was able to get in touch with someone willing to talk to me but I have had many terrible experiences.

They've hung up on me twice saying that my situation wasn't bad enough and they had other phone calls to attend to. One person told me that I would go to hell if I killed myself. One person was annoyed because I struggled to stop crying and she said something like, "You called to talk but you aren't saying anything." They are often confused or impatient when I say I don't want them to send the police and just want to talk. I've already been involuntarily hospitalized twice and it only makes things worse.

My therapist emphasized that she is not a crisis center and I needed to call the hotline if I needed help outside of our scheduled one hour weekly session. She said to hang up and call again until I find someone who is willing to listen.

I did that tonight. I called three times. Once they figured out that I did not have a gun to my head at that very moment and I already had a therapist they tried to end the conversation. The third time this happened, when the person I spoke to said "you're already receiving care" and that they had other calls to attend to I lost my shit. I screamed as loudly as I could into the phone and hung up. I don't feel bad that I did it. Why tell me to call a volunteer who has minimal training on working with suicidal people and is unwilling to talk to me for 15 minutes?

Hey! What hotline did you call? Are you in the USA?

 

[Guizin239]

I heard bad things about the suicide hotline.

 

[takeyourshotfunboy]

One time I heard from a guy that his friend who worked at the suicide hotline was complaining that ¨it was getting boring because the only people who were calling were 14 year old girls who tried to overdose on ibuprofen" lmao what a piece of shit

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Apparently Ted Bundy worked at a crisis centre at one point during his time at college. Haha, imagine that?

They'll let anybody work there apparently!

 

[talktomeplease]

Hey bud! if you want to talk just DM me im here if you want someone to talk to.

 

[Haku]

People donate millions of dollars or pounds or euros or whichever currency of the country you live in to these places so they can help those that want to be helped, and this is how they treat someone who seeks advice from them! Your problem is not as bad as others or your going to hell! Fuck these assholes! I see hotlines as a waste of time and money. People who really want to end their lives will never call a hotline, but I know there are people who are in between such a decision that they need a person to give them a reason to live, and that's why the hotlines are supposed to be there for, and you call and some shithead tells you your situation isnt that important, fuck those pieces of shit!

 

[azucaramargo]

I've actually found the Samaritans to be mostly OK as long as you don't expect them to fix anything. They have listened and are anonymous. I only ever had one chap who said "Shit I can't deal with his call someone else "

That was pretty unprofessional of him!

 

[FTL.Wanderer]

They've hung up on me twice saying that my situation wasn't bad enough and they had other phone calls to attend to.

So many of the experiences with hotlines you've shared I, too, have had. I find them to be not just a waste of time, but downright hurtful. They've ALWAYS made matters much worse for me so that now I just roll my eyes when I read the knee-jerk suicide response to call a hotline... And, um, would you assign volunteers to triage patients? If not, AND you claim suicide is due to a medical disease, why would you assign volunteers with little validated training to triage the "mentally ill"? Sorry they treated you that way. There are several of us on this site who've had very similar experiences. <Hug>

 

[azucaramargo]

Apparently Ted Bundy worked at a crisis centre at one point during his time at college. Haha, imagine that?

They'll let anybody work there apparently!

Really?? That's so interesting! How did you learn that bit of info, if I may?

 

[pole]

Lack of being genuine and compassionate. Its come to the point where theres literally a template of what to say to someone in need, like a crisis hotlines alleged template, circulating and trending all over twitter and being mocked because its absolutely disgusting. Its sad that its gotten to this point.

 

[LuzurPhagget]

Really?? That's so interesting! How did you learn that bit of info, if I may?

I think I was just reading up on him. Info's readily available on wikipedia/online etc.