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It's worse than that. Lifeline in Australia claim they have a confidential service, but in fact if you call from your mobile phone, don't give your details and

It's worse than that. Lifeline in Australia claim they have a confidential service, but in fact if you call from your mobile phone, don't give your details and turn off caller ID they still have systems that can identify who you are. I should know - I was trying to talk myself down from suicide by calling them, and the next thing I know (hours after I had stopped having those feelings) the police forcibly took me to hospital where I received no treatment whatsoever.

asdfghjkl1 8y ago
Well, you did receive some treatment: poor treatment.
throwaway34985 8y ago
The NSW Mental Health Act is an appalling instrument. I've been highly suicidal and scheduled via so-called "crisis intervention teams" (invoked by my wife) and all it achieves is reinforcing to a suicidal person just how utterly powerless they are and how grossly dysfunctional and incompetent the mental health system is. Locking up law-abiding people only lasts so long, then they leave far, far, far worse than if you had never done that to them. Support services like Lifeline are a waste of time if you've already been plugged into medication and talk therapy for a protracted period. You don't need some well-meaning volunteer to state the obvious that there is help. You've been getting professional help for years. It's losing hope that leads people to suicide. In my case finding a clinical psychologist who prioritises mind-body therapy (with a strong focus on trust and non-violence) made a large difference. Unfortunately it requires far more sessions and a "follow your nose" approach based on the individual client so it doesn't have the empirical robustness of mainstream therapies. But it changes your outlook completely when it's a care-focused therapy (ie the complete opposite of what the Mental Health Act smashes you beyond recognition with).
AndrewKemendo 8y ago
Indeed, and again, pretty much everyone in the depression community knows this and actively avoids these services because of this. I think people call it chaptering now.

asdfghjkl1 8y ago

Well, you did receive some treatment: poor treatment.

throwaway34985 8y ago

The NSW Mental Health Act is an appalling instrument. I've been highly suicidal and scheduled via so-called "crisis intervention teams" (invoked by my wife) and all it achieves is reinforcing to a suicidal person just how utterly powerless they are and how grossly dysfunctional and incompetent the mental health system is. Locking up law-abiding people only lasts so long, then they leave far, far, far worse than if you had never done that to them. Support services like Lifeline are a waste of time if you've already been plugged into medication and talk therapy for a protracted period. You don't need some well-meaning volunteer to state the obvious that there is help. You've been getting professional help for years. It's losing hope that leads people to suicide. In my case finding a clinical psychologist who prioritises mind-body therapy (with a strong focus on trust and non-violence) made a large difference. Unfortunately it requires far more sessions and a "follow your nose" approach based on the individual client so it doesn't have the empirical robustness of mainstream therapies. But it changes your outlook completely when it's a care-focused therapy (ie the complete opposite of what the Mental Health Act smashes you beyond recognition with).

AndrewKemendo 8y ago

Indeed, and again, pretty much everyone in the depression community knows this and actively avoids these services because of this. I think people call it chaptering now.