Looking for a Therapist

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I'm looking for some advice about calling a therapist. I've been struggling with some dark and negative thoughts over the past few years which led me to write a suicide note and attempt it just recently. A few days after the failed attempt, my dad found the note I had left that night along with a very sad story I had written a couple of years ago. My dad suggested I attend therapy to get better and he gave me some numbers to call, but the truth is, I'm very anxious about calling for the first appointment. I need to go on Saturday because I work during the week. What if this place doesn't have Saturday appointments? Also, I'm not sure if I have anxiety or depression, along with my mild ASD, but I want to tell the new therapist everything that's been going on inside my head so I can try to get some help. However, I'm worried that they might hear "suicidal thoughts/attempted suicide" and automatically send me off to a mental hospital. The thing is, I'm not suicidal right now, or even everyday for that matter. It's only if something upsets me and makes me sad that I have those thoughts because I don't have the coping skills to deal with the intense disappointment and sadness I sometimes feel. I need long term help and in order to get long term help, I need to be honest with them about what's going on, but I can't afford to miss work while I'm in a hospital. I'm also afraid that they're going to try to convince me to get hooked on drugs. While I realize that some medications are good for people with mood disorders and I even respect this, it's not where I want to start. I need help with my deeply rooted issues, not just pills to mask the pain. Then there's the fact that my mother doesn't know about any of this. What will I tell her about why I need to see a therapist all of a sudden? She'd be crushed if she knew I tried suicide, or at least that's what my dad says, which she probably would being honest. Finally, I'm wondering how long therapy typically lasts for people. Is it something that should last for months, or years? I know it's different for everyone, but I'm scared to start the connection with the therapy, only to have it broken after a period of so many months or years. I think my family is under the impression that I will go and get "cured" in a few months. I want this to be the case, but I'm not sure it will be? Sorry for the long post once again, but I'm really anxious about all of this.

I noticed that if you have traumatic or disappointing things happen it accumulates...so the next trauma or disappointment feels worse.

Drugs might shield you from this to give you time to recover, but they are an extreme step.

Sorry that you have been driven to actually trying to commit suicide.

I tried going on drugs in the long term which wasn't good. They're supposed to be a short term measure.