Venting A general observation towards suicide hotlines

[inkmage333]

Hi SaSu, it's been a while! Truth be told I found I got a bunch of notifications when logging in, and I got so overwhelmed I ended up logging off for a bit.

Anyways, I was recently in contact with the hotline not for suicidal intent this time, but homicidal intent (towards my parents, for the record). And I noticed that the responder's, well, responses, seemed a lot more genuine than when I expressed suicidal intent? Like it wasn't the same platitudes and stuff, I was getting responses that legitimately seemed more understanding. I wonder what's up with that! I really do.

But yeah. My parents still treated me like a child even when I'm a legal adult, they threatened to take away my financial support (basically, my ability to go to college, health insurance, etc.) for "being disrespectful" (standing up for myself and self-advocating, like my therapist suggested). Same old, same old. Hence the homicidal intent. Unfortunate that my therapist's advice ends up with me getting mistreated even more, I'll probably mention that to her tomorrow. Still though.

 

[CarbonBased]

Is this a new meta? Calling the homicidal hotline when you're feeling suicidal :p

 

[NaturesWomb]

I wonder how much of that platitude sounding talk stems from A) hotline staff mandating that you HAVE to use like a script and/or B) A misguided empathy and terror, fear of a person CTBing and having a lot of sympathy for them--that might come across less genuine than suicidal people really need in the moment.

 

[52yoandmiserable]

In my experience, and it is significant, suicide hotlines for basically worthless. They can only do two things: call your mental health provider if they are able to (I use the VA crisis line) or send authorities to your location to do a welfare check. Other than that it's just something to help the normal people feel like they did something useful.
I had at least three phone calls to the VA crisis line that never even got documented. My mental health care team never followed up.
My worst experience with the suicide hotline was I called before I was actually suicidal like you know you're supposed to do and even though I said to the person I am not at home I'm an hour away from home and do not need a welfare check do not send a welfare check to my house they did that anyway. The cops broke through the door searched the house of course no one was there because I don't know I told them that and I ended up with a bill of $339 because they broke the door.
In realistically they're not worth the fucking powder to blow them to hell. Unless you genuinely don't want to commit suicide, don't waste your time. They don't fucking care. And if you get wrapped up in their bullshit it's only going to make your life worse than it already is.

 

[kju]

Eeeeh, there's not much they do
from my experience either they don't think you're serious when experiencing suicidal ideation, or they immediately attempt to call the ambulance on you to send you to the psych ward