I told a doctor in the ER that I was suicidal, and they imprisoned me and denied me basic human rights

[Hood of Bone]

When I told the doctor I was feeling suicidal, they took all of my belongings away and handcuffed me to a stretcher for over six hours while I waited for a social worker to come interview me. They also withheld food from me, and I was only able to eat because a nurse broke the rules to secretly give me some food after I begged for it. Finally, I went on trial before a social worker who was judge, jury, and executioner. Thankfully, I was able to convince her to let me go. Otherwise, I would have been imprisoned in that hellhole for at least 72 more hours.

I'm not saying you shouldn't seek help if you're suicidal, but PLEASE do not make the same mistake I did. The ER is little more than a gulag for people with mental health issues. What a disgusting world we live in.

 

[Symbiote]

Yep been there, done that. Even when you're locked in for 72 hrs, you meet some people who also plot on how to get out faster. It's like prison, except you're paying thousands of dollars for it.

 

[UKscotty]

That sounds nuts, what country are you in? Here in the UK they just keep you sitting around for 9 hours till they can spare someone for a quick chat then you convince them you are good to go back home with no further action.

 

[Hood of Bone]

That sounds nuts, what country are you in? Here in the UK they just keep you sitting around for 9 hours till they can spare someone for a quick chat then you convince them you are good to go back home with no further action.

I'm in the U.S., specifically Washington state. I think the process is fairly similar in most European/"Western" countries though.

 

[toforigivelife]

Never turn to the police or to your local ER when you want help with a mental health crisis.

Unless you manage to find a friend or family member who is willing to offer you some love and understanding, and that is like finding a four-leaf clover, you really don't have anyone to turn to in an emergency.

I don't know. Is it safe to say anything to anyone without winding up being imprisoned somehow?

 

[FuneralCry]

That is really awful what you had to go through, nobody should be treated like that, it sounds no different from a prison. That type of situation is my worst nightmare.

 

[Largeletters]

I am so sorry you went through this...

 

[GreenMile]

It's pretty much impossible to talk about this subject other than here. So sorry you had to go through that, thanks for the reminder to be careful.

 

[BeansOfRequirement]

If people want to see "professionals" or whatnot and talk about things for some reason, remember to always add that you have no specific plans and no sense of urgency. Example: "I definitely have no way of committing suicide and I'm most certainly not doing it as early as this year." You can be honest with the other stuff (again, this is if you actually get helped by this sort of thing somehow and you don't just do it because your parents are deluded boomers that put you in front of a playstation instead of raising you and are now scrambling to not take deserved hits to their genetic interests, in which case it is advised to feign recovery to the best of one's ability).

 

[BottomlessPit]

It's always good to keep in mind that mental health personnel are not your friend when you're suicidal. They only seek to preserve life and will do everything in their power to achieve exactly that. As soon as you admit to the thought crime of suicidal ideation you run the risk of being degraded to something lower than an animal, with the majority of your human rights being abolished. And this is what they understand under "help", without realizing how fucked up that is.

 

[BeyondGoodNEvil]

ive been in this scenario what I basically say was i feel really bad not suicidal even tough i was
cause i knew shit will get worse if i said so they just brought in a physiologist which i had to wait for a fukin long time and by the time he arrived their was nothing much to talk about but prescribed me pills which i ended up sleeping for the whole day.one time i thought maybe itll be better if i was sent to the mental ward i knew itll be bad but seeing people experience here i never knew it was that bad.

 

[Rhaiyne]

So horrible you had to go through that.

What really bothers me is the way the system works... or lack thereof really. There appears to be no true understanding of someone who is suicidal and therefore no proper procedures in place. I think all is based from a place of fear and lack of empathy and understanding. I think policies and procedures are written by people who have no knowledge of what being suicidal actually feels like. Unfortunately, people working in the fields where suicidal people turn for help all have a 'duty of care' and that duty, unfortunately, is the very duty which cause people to be dishonest or not even seek help due to what the 'duty of care' seeks to do and that is to protect, preserve life. They have to act on that duty of care or face serious consequences.

I would like to see people, whether suicidal or recovered, taking the lead in how such services should be delivered. Only those of us who are or have been that low in life can know what is needed or wanted at the point of feeling suicidal. If we are asked and properly listened to then perhaps more often than not people will invest more in their recovery. However, society is not a pro choice one yet and I think it's "instinct to try to preserve life. Even for ourselves, SI can be so powerful. Preserving life is natural. Pro choice is about fully understanding people's choices whether we agree or disagree with them and the 'duty of care' doesn't contain rights to choice.

 

[cantlive]

When I told the doctor I was feeling suicidal, they took all of my belongings away and handcuffed me to a stretcher for over six hours while I waited for a social worker to come interview me. They also withheld food from me, and I was only able to eat because a nurse broke the rules to secretly give me some food after I begged for it. Finally, I went on trial before a social worker who was judge, jury, and executioner. Thankfully, I was able to convince her to let me go. Otherwise, I would have been imprisoned in that hellhole for at least 72 more hours.

I'm not saying you shouldn't seek help if you're suicidal, but PLEASE do not make the same mistake I did. The ER is little more than a gulag for people with mental health issues. What a disgusting world we live in.

I said it to a suicide hotline operator and now I can't be a 911 dispatcher

 

[Dear Agony]

Yep, that's why I don't tell anyone outright that I'm suicidal. I imply it in multiple occasions as a joke, and I'm sure my mom knows I'm suicidal, but no one thinks I'm actually serious or how serious I am about it. Once people think or know you have a mental illness that involves causing harm to yourself, you become a prisoner to them, they strip you off all of your rights.
I had a similar experience when I was a minor, they stripped me naked and made me cough on all fours to check me for drugs, yikes. This was all while I cried and begged for them to let me go.

 

[Dymming Star6]

Never turn to the police or to your local ER when you want help with a mental health crisis.

Unless you manage to find a friend or family member who is willing to offer you some love and understanding, and that is like finding a four-leaf clover, you really don't have anyone to turn to in an emergency.

I don't know. Is it safe to say anything to anyone without winding up being imprisoned somehow?

Nope, unfortunately, it's like a nail in the old coffin bit! The mental health staff/law enforcement in the US, treat you like a common criminal to be frisked inappropriately then involuntarily housed in a prison like ward that they call a "behavioral hospital section" for supposed treatment as ill/broken human cattle, pfft! Not saying all mental health professionals or law enforcement are the same, however, most are there just for a damn paycheck, absent of real compassion/empathy for the truly damaged, pfft! The proof is in the pudding with so many of us suffering in complete/utter silence..then poof...too late, we are gone...

I said it to a suicide hotline operator and now I can't be a 911 dispatcher

Yes, I am in the same boat, hun. I passed my dispatcher's exam with flying colors then went to the big orientation last year. My background check is what killed all hope due to my previous mental health commitments from past years. I was tired of being a telephone customer service agent for over 13 plus years. I wanted a career change that gave me a new purpose/still helping people as best I could--it's my born nature but as with everything in my life, it will never materialize, unfortunately. They sent me an email about 3 months ago, telling me that I did not meet their oh so high standards. I just can't seem to move forward without any real purpose for living so here...I have arrived to my final destination...

 

[Taki]

I'm sorry to hear this. I've revealed it in the past and always regretted it. Fortunately I've never been kept in the ED and am determined to avoid it.

 

[AloeGarten]

When I told the doctor I was feeling suicidal, they took all of my belongings away and handcuffed me to a stretcher for over six hours while I waited for a social worker to come interview me. They also withheld food from me, and I was only able to eat because a nurse broke the rules to secretly give me some food after I begged for it. Finally, I went on trial before a social worker who was judge, jury, and executioner. Thankfully, I was able to convince her to let me go. Otherwise, I would have been imprisoned in that hellhole for at least 72 more hours.

I'm not saying you shouldn't seek help if you're suicidal, but PLEASE do not make the same mistake I did. The ER is little more than a gulag for people with mental health issues. What a disgusting world we live in.

shit man. ive been thinking about talking to a doctor recently about this but im conflicted about bringing up suicidal thoughts. mind if i ask what country youre in? i wonder if the UK maybe deals with it differently

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

Sorry this happened to you. So fucked up. And Fixthe26 expects us to talk people out of CTB.
There isn't anywhere to turn.

 

[onmywayout]

All of these experiences sound horrific. I am so sorry.

This is what scares me the most. I am afraid of failing at ctb and then being subjected to treatment like this. Does anyone have experience with that? What happens to you if you are found and they are able to revive you? Are you automatically committed?

 

[Taki]

shit man. ive been thinking about talking to a doctor recently about this but im conflicted about bringing up suicidal thoughts. mind if i ask what country youre in? i wonder if the UK maybe deals with it differently

The danger is if you say you're very suicidal right now, and have a plan and means. If you deny the means or access to means, or say you don't plan to act but are just having thoughts, they can't detain you in most countries.
Even when I've thought I would want help, the potential humiliation and terror of being detained has always stopped me from going to emerg or telling the full story.

 

[AloeGarten]

The danger is if you say you're very suicidal right now, and have a plan and means. If you deny the means or access to means, or say you don't plan to act but are just having thoughts, they can't detain you in most countries.
Even when I've thought I would want help, the potential humiliation and terror of being detained has always stopped me from going to emerg or telling the full story.

ah ok thanks man. i think ill mention the thoughts for sure, but i wont say im thinking of it rn. i heard medication helps, so i hope it does and i dont end up making a post similar to this one :/

 

[Cant Maintain]

Every time they try and lock me down I just walk out unless they have reason for an involuntary hold.

Most recently, my therapist came in and talked to some staff n got me out. Boss moves.

 

[whywere]

Oh ya, have had that experience. My mental health doctor back in 2015 for some reason thought that something with me was amiss, well he was right I had just started my 2nd attempt and unbeknownst to me he called the cops. They came to my flat, hauled me to a hospital and 72 hour hold. Then that turned into a 14 day hold and in that time I had to go before a judge and explain why I should not be locked up for at least 6 months. EVERYTHING about the whole experience was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. I was treated extremely bad and like your experience @Hood of Bone when I first was dropped off by the cops it was like 5pm and I had no food all day yet and I had to beg, like around 10 pm, for a slice of bread with cheese and a glass of water.

I NEVER EVER will get a 72 hour again, ctb all the way first. It was PURE HELL.

I send you lots of hugs, smiles, and the knowledge that you are with the best folks here on the planet. Lots of sunny blue skies and love for/towards you.

Walter

 

[whywere]

All of these experiences sound horrific. I am so sorry.

This is what scares me the most. I am afraid of failing at ctb and then being subjected to treatment like this. Does anyone have experience with that? What happens to you if you are found and they are able to revive you? Are you automatically committed?

HI! Like my post here, for me the answer is yes to your question. When the cops came and found my noose and everything, they called a ambulance and away I went. First was a 72 hour hold, then that turned into 14 days and almost 6 months. Talked my way out of the 6 month stay aspect before a judge. IT WAS PURE HELL.
Walter

 

[sadboyhours:(]

ah ok thanks man. i think ill mention the thoughts for sure, but i wont say im thinking of it rn. i heard medication helps, so i hope it does and i dont end up making a post similar to this one :/

I think in the uk they are a lot less harsh than in other countries. I spoke about wanting to kill myself and trying to source the means to my gp and he didn't do anything. About a month later I was in hospital after an attempt and even after saying I didn't want to be alive and that I regretted calling anyone for help and still had the means to reattempt and wanted to, they still sent me home with just a 7 day follow up, where they discharged me from the service