Discussion We all agree that suicide prevention hotlines are pretty much useless, right?

[sorrynormal]

but they'll want to send a taxi

In the United States?

 

[its-about-time]

In the United States?

Yes

 

[MellowAvenue]

Personally, I think they are only as useful as the resources they can provide are if that makes sense. My experience was mixed because the operator I got clearly didn't give a shit and directed me to a crisis responder who proceeded to lie to me about not sending law enforcement (In retrospect, MAYBE they were worried telling me outright would trigger me, I don't know, I just know it made me more stressed at the time) but I was fortunate in that the doctor it ultimately got me in contact with was able to help me and put me into a state of recovery. I probably could have just got myself to the ER but I wasn't in the mindset to think that way at the time.

Some areas just aren't so lucky. There's either a lack of resources that they can offer you or places they can send you to or the hospital that they can send you to isn't equipped to deal with mental health cases because the staff they've tasked for it sucks for any number of reasons.

I can certainly see why many here think they are just a token measure and in a lot of places they kinda are, but I don't think they have to stay that way though and I do don't think they always suck.

 

[sorrynormal]

Yes

This has got to be a rich area or something.

 

[its-about-time]

This has got to be a rich area or something.

No. But it's a bigger town. About 100,000 people. I doubt tiny towns could have something like this realistically. It's funded by the government and operated by/employed with county mental health workers. And does not charge anybody for services, no matter their income. It's seriously a fantastic resource and I think every town needs one. Masters level therapists, a prescriber, transportation offered at no cost, peer support services, and they can admit you to the psych ward and respite centers directly (instead of going through the ER). You can stay there for up to 24 hours, they have recliner cots etc. It's also a no-hold facility meaning they can't detain you if they decide you're unsafe.

This only opened less than 2 years ago here. Completely government funded. Could be possible everywhere if every state and county prioritized mental health more. If only…

 

[Foresight]

I actually feel bad for those volunteers. That's a tough position to be in. It's very naive of them to take it.

I don't quite understand what people want them to do when you call? Place an order for SN? There's only so much a stranger can do. I don't bother them because I have end stage mental illness and I don't see the point in thrusting that on some volunteer. I don't mind that it exists for talking out milder or impulsive situations.

I do think there should be a policy of not contacting the authorities. That I do understand the anger. It's out of line.

 

[sorrynormal]

funded by the government

So is this an FQHC?

 

[its-about-time]

So is this an FQHC?

I believe it's a CCBHC, state government funded not federal.

 

[Toxic Positivity]

I want to talk shit about suicide hotlines, but at the same time, no one forces you to call. People call when they're losing control and feel like they're in crisis. Yeah it sucks that the volunteers are overwhelmed, yeah it sucks they have to follow a script, yeah it sucks that they're strangers. But it's a beggars being choosers situation. I'm glad it exists as an institution for those who need to reach out for it, and the insight @Dot provided from the actual volunteer's perspective has been informative.

 

[demuic]

My problem is how they are thrusted on anyone who admits to having suicidal thoughts. Yes, no one is ""forced"" to call it yet the social pressure is there, nowadays you are told if you are suicidal or feeling down, "call a hotline!", and people will take that at face value without understanding the dangers behind it. Many people are ignorant to the true nature of these hotlines and not aware that police could be called on them and that they could be forced into a psychiatric establishment, many people have had their lives worsened when they were already feeling like shit from traumatic encounters with the police/psych wards and losing their jobs or going into medical debt from the hospitals as a result. (I am talking specifically about the US, but similar things can apply in other countries.) And that's all without going into the shady data-selling practices and related things.

The Samaritans are a step in the right direction from what I've heard, they do not call the authorities in any cirumstance, though I am not familiar with them to know if they provide any access to resources beyond that. In any case, there is not really a widely accessible similar service in the US.

Ideally a "suicide hotline" would work to connect you to resources and things that would specifically help you in your situation, connecting someone to actual free or affordable therapists in their area, if you are suffering from abuse, help someone find a shelter to stay at, poverty, connect someone to job resources, etc, rather than calling the cops on someone or telling them to take a walk and do some yoga. And that's provided the individual asks for resources/help, they should always have the right to refuse.

If all they are going to be is a place for someone to talk about their feelings for free over the phone without actually doing anything for you then they should be advertised as such.

Yeah, they're worse than useless, particularly in the U.S. where a 911 call sends armed cops to your house alongside the fire department and the EMT's. U.S. cops shoot and kill a LOT of mentally ill people, as well as their dogs, their relatives, and their neighbors. So much so that "suicide by cop" is a recognized thing. If you want the high probability of death that a gunshot wound to the chest provides, but find it distasteful or impractical to shoot yourself, then suicide by cop may be an economical and convenient way to get your ticket punched. The "iF eVeN oNe LiFe iS sAvEd" rhetoric doesn't really fly here, because a hell of a lot more than one life has been lost to idiot hotline volunteers who thought they were "helping."

Really, hotlines exist to make neurotypical people feel better. They get to feel satisfied that "something is being done" about the fact that so many are living intolerable lives, but nothing really is. It's a form of security theater, much like making everyone take off their shoes in airports. One guy 20 years ago managed to smuggle a bit of C4 into an airport by putting it in his shoe, and we are still doing that silly-ass shoe removal thing to this day.

Agree 100%.

 

[MyStateKilledMe]

I see suicide hotlines as nothing more than honeypots (decoys) created by MHP's to lure our kind into their traps. That is, they promise to help us, but in reality, they just lie to us in order to permanently ruin our lives and careers in the guise of "helping" us. Because in most Western countries, even having thoughts of suicide is crimethink (a reference to "1984"), and can land you in jail. In fact, I'm sure suicide hotline "volunteers" get a commission or bonus for every suicidal person they help arrest. The call is nominally "anonymous" to the "volunteer" on the phone with you, but the pro-life cops listening in can find out everything!

 

[fillthevoid]

Most suicides and suicide attempts being driven by three factors : emotional, financial and psychological distress.

What's even the point of suicide prevention hotlines ?

If I am struggling emotionally I need support from the people I know.

If I am struggling financially I need a place to sleep and food to eat.

If I am struggling psychologically I need help from a medical professional.

How is some volunteer telling you good words at the end of a phone line supposed to help with any of this ?

100000000000000000%
This.

 

[Dr Iron Arc]

The hotline numbers are useful as a generic response people can parrot and list off whenever the topic of suicide is even brought up so that they can make themselves look heroic.

 

[lostmylove]

I don't believe the people who do this have good intentions. They're concern is the 'look at me I'm a hero' also no doubt about it that they tell everyone they volunteer non stop.

So no a script reader is not gonna be useful

 

[Weebster]

I like to call them and ask them why they called me and try and talk them out of suicide.

 

[WorthlessTrash]

Useless. These people can't really help people who have depression. They're just there to put stuff on their resumes. In the end, the depressed person's problems will still be there the next day and the cycle will likely repeat itself.

Some of us need a miracle worker, not copium.

 

[Viranamari]

Suicide hotlines are really useless."That must be hard for you..."Maybe you can do something you like?"It is completely detestable and useless. If you are so concerned, you might want to go to a police station or the emergency ward in an asylum.

 

[lionetta12]

Most suicides and suicide attempts being driven by three factors : emotional, financial and psychological distress.

What's even the point of suicide prevention hotlines ?

If I am struggling emotionally I need support from the people I know.

If I am struggling financially I need a place to sleep and food to eat.

If I am struggling psychologically I need help from a medical professional.

How is some volunteer telling you good words at the end of a phone line supposed to help with any of this ?

Suicide hotlines are as useless as emergency call phone lines, for me anyway so far.

 

[wr3ck3d]

I remember something about telling someone about suicide and they will have 3 main questions. How?, Where? and When? Once you tell them any date they are forced to call the cops as part of their job, being psychiatrist, or helpline person. Some might do it even after the first 2 questions, so if you have a suicide plan and intend to go with it, don't share it with other people, otherwise they will stop you. You can tell them you feel suicidal as long as you don't share anything about your plan

 

[bluville]

I've never heard a good experience from the suicide hotline lol, I don't know why people expect unprofessionals the deal with something as serious as suicide. It's almost offensive