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sirunknownlandon t1_j4ls51n wrote

This increase is both good and bad. Unfortunately the suicide hotline doesn't seem to have enough people, or people who really care. It's an unfortunately pathetic attempt at helping people and I have personal tales and stories from friends where the help provided is just ridiculous. Things from "just drink some hot tea" to "don't do it", the whole system needs a rework and the people doing this need better care and training.

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femmestem t1_j4lxcbu wrote

This is not as terrible as it may seem on the surface. The hotline is meant to mitigate immediate loss of life. The first things they assess are intent, means, and urgency. The majority of people who are suicidal have a momentary impulse that will pass if you can distract them long enough to break the script. It doesn't cure depression or suicidal ideation. From there, long term care is needed.

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FrankenGretchen t1_j4mlqed wrote

Or they can be like Nicholasville, KY PD who responded to a 988 call with family present, botch the call start to finish by not following their own training procedures and shoot the distressed person to death because he 'looked like he had a gun.' Then, they claimed they'd not been trained and the whole thing was an unfortunate misunderstanding. 988 is rightly becoming seen as a further opportunity for police brutality.

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mckblee t1_j4pt0h9 wrote

I'll never forget seeing a small group of people marching in protest of this to raise awareness, then driving past the PD who had (in their fear of 40ish people with paper signs) put up brand-new temporary fencing around the new $500k station with big 'ol "NO TRESPASSING" signs on each panel to deter the protest from ending up in their parking lot šŸ¤£ talk about pathetic.

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FrankenGretchen t1_j56z4wv wrote

Right? The Roots and Heritage festival gets the Mobile Command center every year. Like cornbread and collard greens are terrorist threats.

Which Lex protest had 50 marchers and 100 police in full riot gear? It was a bit ago. Maybe Breonna's vigil? There's so much FEAR with these ones it's hard to keep their overreactions sorted.

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sirunknownlandon t1_j4m8bt2 wrote

Yes. However, that's not what they do. A lot of times your literally faced with someone who probably has had no training, has some information in front of them, and is just doing it like it's a call center job. Long term care and proper resources are needed, yes, but the system doesn't do its job effectively. Hell, one time the only reason I stopped to consider things was because I was laughing at the genuine advice given to me by someone with no clue what they were doing. This was in my teens and I knew better and just hung up. A lot of people who have had to use the service have been failed by it and ultimately it doesn't do what it should. There are other crisis hotlines and I always advise using them instead.

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0bsolescencee t1_j4nwz02 wrote

I worked at a crisis line for women fleeing domestic violence and I literally received no training at all. I worked in the shelter and had to answer the crisis line if it rang. I always dreaded it ringing because it was so stressful not knowing what to do.

I preferred night shifts where there were less calls than any other times. The work in the field appears to be so difficult they struggle to find staffing, so they struggle to provide training from the non-existent senior staff.

I've called a variety of different crisis lines for my own personal use, and it's super hit and miss on if you'll get someone trained or who doesn't provide shitty advice. One time I got into a routine of having debilitating panic attacks on the same day of the week and kept getting the same chick who had no idea what to do. It was annoying lmao.

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masterchris t1_j4mjs4q wrote

Yeah, I've been helped on the hotline and I've had a couple calls that left me feeling more worthless and like pouring a fifth of liquor down my throat was the only help I could get.

Real hit or miss. I honestly don't thing a phone call is going to be enough though without resources and services provided

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sirunknownlandon t1_j4moa67 wrote

The reality is you need a system of people. The suicide hotline should try and deescalate to the best of their ability, using actual human empathy, and police need funding for proper training to better understand mental health scenarios. In some places where it is viable, someone else can be dispatched maybe to specifically handle mental crisis, but I know in small areas using that funding on police would show better results than stretching the budget. Yes, nothing will beat proper resources and services, but you need to ensure you are helping people get to those resources and services instead of being left in the dark.

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MannyOmega t1_j4luzwx wrote

wtf ā€œdrink some hot teaā€ is maybe the worst advice iā€™ve ever seen

iā€™ve actually had a good experience with it but i think NYC has their own separate hotline from the national one, i doubt they differ much though

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runner64 t1_j4meaw4 wrote

Itā€™s less about the tea and more about finding some thing that your irrational depression is begrudgingly forced to admit might help. For me, I get low fast if my sugar/protein ratio gets way out of whack. When sitting there sure that I will never be happy again I am forced to admit that I have been wrong about this exact scenario before, when in reality I just needed a sandwich.
Iā€™m not sure that many normals can explain that though.

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epelle9 t1_j4n8ay9 wrote

Honestly, not the worse advice.

No-one is going to kill themselves with a full cup of tea, they'mm most likely at least wait until drinking it.

But most people who commit suicide do it out of a temporary urge, and waiting for the coffee to cool down before drinking it and killing themselves might let the urge subside.

Sure, they're still depressed and might likely get snother urge again, but at least they live to fight another urge, instead of just killing themselves on the spot.

Not the best advice, but much better than nothing.

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csreader21 t1_j4nxcvw wrote

988 is nation wide but itā€™s staffed by many different crisis hotlines with their own training and rules. Some have fully trained staff with degrees, others have volunteers. Some are required to immediately call police out, others arenā€™t. Some have to triage the calls due the sheer amount of people calling. Because though the breakup with your girlfriend is really tough and is causing you to feel depressed it ties up the lines for people who are genuinely suicidal. Not everyone who calls is suicidal.

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nadia_diaz t1_j4nvc9s wrote

I volunteered at one. Keep in mind, it's usually volunteers who are just doing their best. The only financial incentive I got was the selection of teas available. I didn't even get a reference afterwards.

There's only so much you can do. The only thing in my power was listening and talking. I couldn't send the police. I couldn't connect them with a therapist or psychiatrist. I can't actually solve things that tend to plague people, like health, relationships, money or other. Of course I'd love if I or the service provided those options, but it's not within the scope of what they do.

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DylantheMango t1_j4oieu7 wrote

This is a step in that direction actually. With the introduction of 988, hotline centers are going through a specific training. I canā€™t say I felt we needed it, as I volunteer for a center and though it is volunteer staffed, the training i went through was extensive. Before 988 we even got certified and in ASIST, an evidenced based model for crisis counseling persons calling with suicidal ideation or intent. Regardless, quality overall should go up overall.

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ApocalypticTomato t1_j4p0mhv wrote

My only experience with the suicide hotline traumatized me rather badly. It was actual harm, far past just being ridiculous platitudes. I probably shouldn't go into it on a good vibes only subreddit but it scares me seeing these numbers put out there as a good thing. It did permanent harm to me and I'm far less likely to ever discuss suicidal thoughts or reach out for help after that experience.

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EOE97 t1_j4m15sz wrote

Looks like a great opportunity for AI.

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PresidentHurg t1_j4ocfvt wrote

"Press 2 for emphatic response. I'm sorry you have waited too long in the menu. Now connecting you to tech support. You are number...77...in line. The approximate waiting time is...48...minutes. Have you tried using Google to see why you are unhappy? Cue 'you're simply the best' waiting music

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CrimsonFox99 t1_j4o5a8l wrote

Well, they were still alive to tell the story after calling, so....

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LimpTeacher0 t1_j4ooand wrote

Still better then nothing if they want professional help then seek it dont call a hotline

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LiquidMotion t1_j4pcwvt wrote

The problem is there arent enough people with access to healthcare. That would alleviate this problem before it ever got that far. Even under medicaid mental healthcare is like $400 a month.

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randompersonx t1_j4pzksv wrote

Years ago I tried calling one during a rough time. I was on hold for over an hour before getting dropped with an automated message to try calling back later.

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