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I'm not sure how these lines work. I wonder how they balance public safety against the disincentive of involuntary commitment and the stigmas attached to it. I

I'm not sure how these lines work. I wonder how they balance public safety against the disincentive of involuntary commitment and the stigmas attached to it. I imagine if you feel there is a risk you will have your rights taken away (including the ability to end your life), you are less likely to seek help.

tadfisher 4y ago
Sure, but you have to weigh this option with the alternative, which is no option. Is it worth $0.5 billion to add a convenient number? Debatable. Will some people use it, and in turn prevent death and injury? Absolutely.
fassssst 4y ago
More info here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316...
charcircuit 4y ago
>I imagine if you feel there is a risk you will have your rights taken away If this is possible imagine if people "swatted" you with this to get you locked up somewhere.
- DigiDigiorno 4y ago
  I would guess it is not only possible, but one of the intentions behind it. A percent breakdown of calls to involuntary commitments would be useful. I found something about a Florida Department of Family & Children suicide line having a 19% rate of involuntary commitment after a follow-up. (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article263511318.html https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article26351131...) It is scary to think about, but I think both swatting and this would be solved by authorities looking at the scene without blindly taking irreversible action. (In Florida, once the Baker Act involuntary commitment begins, it is required to continue for a couple days. Police examine the suspect before formally doing it, because it is a pretty big deal.) That is not to say I agree (or disagree) with these calls being used for involuntary commitment, I just think the swatting problem is the symptom of an unrelated issue.
nonrandomstring 4y ago
For suicidal crisis we have the Samaritans in the UK. But also Citizens Advice, Childline etc. We also have a dizzying array of non-emergency agencies, British Transport Police, PortWatch, RNLI, and so on.... Each is staffed by specialists with training in their own area. Many (most?) are anonymous and won't ask for your name, but can obviously trace a cellular phone in an emergency unless you take active steps to avoid that. Whether they are 'joined up' is a good question. Do they know of each other's services and are they able to patch a caller through to another specialist, quickly and at no cost? Much may depend on the operator you get. People are people, and some are less well trained, perceptive, or able to act on initiative. Most organisations are also funded by charity/donations and get less public money with each government. In the UK We've had to adapt to a patchwork of independent services because central government has been making cuts since the Thatcher era. For example, the last government shut down most of the coast-guard stations, and a week later a crew of fishermen drowned within a stones throw of a closed lookout station. That caused a scandal that led to a new organisation (CoastWatch) staffed by volunteer civilians and funded by private donations. The people literally took over the abandoned stations and started operating them on a grass-roots basis.

tadfisher 4y ago

Sure, but you have to weigh this option with the alternative, which is no option. Is it worth $0.5 billion to add a convenient number? Debatable. Will some people use it, and in turn prevent death and injury? Absolutely.

fassssst 4y ago

More info here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316...

charcircuit 4y ago

>I imagine if you feel there is a risk you will have your rights taken away If this is possible imagine if people "swatted" you with this to get you locked up somewhere.

DigiDigiorno 4y ago
I would guess it is not only possible, but one of the intentions behind it. A percent breakdown of calls to involuntary commitments would be useful. I found something about a Florida Department of Family & Children suicide line having a 19% rate of involuntary commitment after a follow-up. (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article263511318.html https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article26351131...) It is scary to think about, but I think both swatting and this would be solved by authorities looking at the scene without blindly taking irreversible action. (In Florida, once the Baker Act involuntary commitment begins, it is required to continue for a couple days. Police examine the suspect before formally doing it, because it is a pretty big deal.) That is not to say I agree (or disagree) with these calls being used for involuntary commitment, I just think the swatting problem is the symptom of an unrelated issue.

nonrandomstring 4y ago

For suicidal crisis we have the Samaritans in the UK. But also Citizens Advice, Childline etc. We also have a dizzying array of non-emergency agencies, British Transport Police, PortWatch, RNLI, and so on.... Each is staffed by specialists with training in their own area. Many (most?) are anonymous and won't ask for your name, but can obviously trace a cellular phone in an emergency unless you take active steps to avoid that. Whether they are 'joined up' is a good question. Do they know of each other's services and are they able to patch a caller through to another specialist, quickly and at no cost? Much may depend on the operator you get. People are people, and some are less well trained, perceptive, or able to act on initiative. Most organisations are also funded by charity/donations and get less public money with each government. In the UK We've had to adapt to a patchwork of independent services because central government has been making cuts since the Thatcher era. For example, the last government shut down most of the coast-guard stations, and a week later a crew of fishermen drowned within a stones throw of a closed lookout station. That caused a scandal that led to a new organisation (CoastWatch) staffed by volunteer civilians and funded by private donations. The people literally took over the abandoned stations and started operating them on a grass-roots basis.