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

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).