Hey everybody, today we're going to talk
about suicide. I got a question a few
weeks back I thought was really important
to address and that is "When do we know
that we need to reach out for help?"
"How do we reach out for help?"
"What do we say?" And lastly, "Who do we
reach out to to get the help that we need?"
*Music*
So number one, "when do we need to reach
out for help?" I've heard from a lot of you that you wonder how severe does it need to be before I
actually tell people that I need help. And the
truth of it is, when it comes to suicide, if you fear that you're actually going to hurt yourself, if you
don't trust yourself, if you think that
you're gonna do harm to yourself, you just think that that might happen, reach out for help.
Take yourself to the hospital, call a hotline,
call your therapist, call your supportive friend.
Anything you can to make sure that
you are kept safe. Now I usually encourage
my clients to first call me and leave me a
message or text me and let me know and
then take themselves to the hospital.
If they refuse to go to the hospital, as a therapist
just so you're aware I am legally mandated
to make sure that you are taken to a hospital.
That could be me calling the PET Team,
which is the Psychological Evaluation
Team, that will show up at your house
assess you and potentially take you in.
I can call the police or 911 and get someone
to come out and take you to the hospital.
And I know that this is terrible and it's
the last thing we want to have to happen
but as a therapist I'm supposed to try to
keep you safe and that's what I have to do.
I've also heard from many of you who have
gone to the hospital and they've sent you
away. And I don't want you to be discouraged
or think "hey I'm not sick enough" because
just remember, there are many mental health
professionals that are not good at their jobs
and sometimes we have to scream to be heard.
But that doesn't make your pain any less than,
it doesn't mean that you're not sick enough.
It doesn't mean any of that. It just means
that you encountered someone that maybe sucks
at their job. But please keep screaming out for help
Please keep talking to people until you
get the help that you need and deserve.
The second, and which I've kind of already
talked a little about, is how do you reach out
for help. What do I say? Okay so I go to
the hospital, okay, then what? Tell the nurse
there, since most likely you'll see a nurse,
and let them know that you are worried that you are going to do harm to yourself,
tell them that you have been working with a therapist or not,
but it has been going on for a while,
tell them your story and why it's getting worse now and why you might have come in,
I know they may try to tell you, I've heard from some of you
that you've gone in and they've told you
"oh, you don't want really want to hurt yourself, right? You know that you don't really want to."
NO! Just let them know , impose upon them how intensely you feel fear for your life.
Tell them "I would not have come in here if I didn't need help,
No one wants to come to the hospital,
I wouldn't have come if I didn't fear for my own life."
Tell them, "I've really been struggling, and have been feeling hopeless,
and I just need to be kept safe for a while."
That's ok
it's important that we 're able to verbalize what is going on
maybe this is something, you know,
that you have a friend talk to them or a family member who comes with you,
if you have the luxury of having someone come with you, maybe they can help express this to them,
but like I said before, maybe you have to say it a few times, but don't give up.
Don't leave until you get the help that you need and that you deserve.
And the third and I've kind of talked about this too is:
"Who do you reach out to? Who is it that you tell when you are really struggling?
If you have a therapist , I've actually heard from the person who asked this question,
I heard that their therapist told them that they're not their resource in a crisis.
That's like 80% a lie.
Like I said, I'm mandated to protect my clients
and if I fear that they are suicidal,
there's protocol that I have to do to keep them safe,
and I can actually lose my license, lose my job,
even face criminal charges if I don't do so.
So that's wrong. However, they are aware, that as a clinician, I can only do my best.
I'm going to do everything that I can to keep you safe,
but there are limitations to that, like what if you
call to let me know that you are going to kill yourself and I'm not around?
And it takes me 12 hours before I can get back to you? That's not on me.
But your therapist is someone who you should let know what is going on.
If you're seeing someone, call them, text them, leave them a message,
just to let them know that you are really struggling.
Another resource are hotlines.
I know that they can be good or bad .
because you never know who you're going to get,
but sometimes it just feels good to be heard and understood by someone
And the next way is calling 911.
If you don't feel that you're able to safely get yourself to the hospital,
call 911, the hospital will come out and take you themselves.
I know that it can be really scary, but if it's not safe for you to take yourself,
that's what they're there for, is to get you safely to the hospital.
And also, any other member of your treatment team,
your psychiatrist, your regular doctor, whoever you're seeing for your mental illness,
you can get a hold of and let them know
and they can offer up resources to help keep you safe.
And just remember, there is hope. There are people out there to help.
You are not alone
Know that things can get better, and sometimes we just need some extra support
and there's no shame in reaching out for it.
That's why it's there
That's why people like me get into the jobs that they did
because we want to help and that's what we're here for.
Please share this video,
you never know who may be suffering in silence and is struggling to reach out.
and it's good for them to know what resources are available.
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And I will see you next time
Nailed it!
ok...
and who do we reach out to help for?
for?
what...