It absolutely is a racket, healthcare in this country is messed up

I one time voluntarily committed myself and it only made things worse. The bill at the end adds a lot of insult to injury and definitely didn't help.

That said, I work in mental health and in my training at least we are taught that there's a huge difference between suicidal thoughts/ideation and suicidal intent, and sending people to the hospital involuntarily is an absolute last resort. As a mentally ill person with suicidal ideation, I appreciate this policy a lot. I appreciate it for my clients, too, as I mean... Most of the people struggling from mental health issues right now are actually struggling from poverty issues that are causing the mental health issues. Taking away their income and strapping them with a huge bill is likely to exacerbate the problem.

Also, the hospitals are full right now. There is a massive bed shortage and it takes a long long time to find anywhere to even send anyone. They prioritize only sending people when it is absolutely needed, because honestly there's not enough room.

All of that is to say, talking about suicide is the best way to prevent suicide. I'm not going to tell you that you HAVE to tell your therapist, that's a decision you have to make for yourself, but talking to someone about it is the best way to work through it. Hiding it only gives it power and makes it seem like this big shameful secret that is too terrible to bear. When you start talking about it, you are able to move through it instead of letting it sit there and get worse.