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911 doesn’t have the resources or training to deal with suicidal people. The purpose of 911 is to get first responders to your physical location. The purpose of
by mikeash 7y ago
911 doesn’t have the resources or training to deal with suicidal people. The purpose of 911 is to get first responders to your physical location. The purpose of suicide hotlines is to get help on the phone.
- 0xffff2 7y agoThe 911 dispatchers shouldn't be dealing with suicidal people, they should be forwarding calls from suicidal people to the correct place. I would hope they already do this. What happens if you call 911 and tell them you're suicidal today?
- mikeash 7y agoI don’t know, but I’d expect them to send the police if it’s an emergency (you’re in imminent danger of going through with it) and to tell you to stop tying up the line and seek help yourself otherwise. This would be just like calling them for any other medical problem. If you’re in imminent danger they’ll send help. Otherwise they’ll tell you to get off the line. They won’t forward you to a doctor.