Discussing suicide with others

Post Reply New Topic

Does anyone know what the ramifications of talking about suicidal thoughts are when dealing with doctors or other professionals? Will they start freaking out and lock you up, label you, or something just because you mention it? You know, like saying "bomb" in an airport and people go nuts.

What exactly can you say without them being forced to do something about it?

My best advice to you is to just talk to them about it anyways. And if, by chance, you have ever actually ATTEMPTED suicide, remember to leave that part out.

Yeah, it's very much like that. I once told a doctor I felt suicidal, and the person threatened to have me tied up in a straitjacket and confined to a bed, if I ever mentioned it again (think of the movie Jacket). So do NOT mention suicide in any way, shape, or form. One book I read had a very thought-provoking quote: "Life is no way to treat a person." Makes you think, doesn't it?

...

Last edited by Cade on 11 Feb 2006, 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The answer to that may depend on which side of the Atlantic you are, as well as varying from doctor to doctor.

In the UK, if your GP already knows your mood, it shouldn't provoke a crisis to discuss how you feel pretty frankly. Not discussing it might be the greater risk.

If you are able to state that it's not an immediate risk, but an option that appears real, and put that coherently, you should run hardly any risk of an emergency level response.

Some folk appear to be wired such that suicide is effectively unthinkable, and such will tend to react to even a mention of it as something terrible. I would hope professionals would not get caught that way, but I'm not prepared to guarantee that.

Me, I find suicide far fom unthinkable, but since it would clearly be the last decision I'd ever make, I'd better make sure there isn't *any* better option I've missed.

"I take it that no man is educated, who has never dallied with the thought of suicide."
William James

Thanks for the information. I'm in the US.

In my little bit of research my situation seems to be a bit atypical. I'm not suicidal in the sad, hopeless, depressed sense like most people. Instead I'm having this strong imagery and impulses just to take a knife and cut my throat. There is no emotion attached to the act at all (eg. no fear, no sadness). I believe this was actually brought on by taking an antidepressant. I have only been taking it for a short while for my anxiety but it seems to be creating these bizarre thoughts and I just wanted to ask my doc what might be going on. I do not fear that I would actually follow through and commit suicide at this point but it worries me a bit. That's why I asked this question. I want to talk to someone about it but I don't want to have my life taken away by the powers that be (ie. I don't want to be locked up or something stupid like that).

I have to admit that that aspie in me finds all this quite fascinating and interesting. I'm getting an inside look into these disorders and it has been very enlightening. I am now much more sympathetic to the plight of others with similar problems. Although I never seem to have the reactions to anything like normal people (eg. antidepressants apparently make me suicidal and possibly depressed!).

Having had 20+ years on a variety of medication, before finding out eventually that I was better off without them, *and *that I had a solid diagnosis of Asperger's, *and* that there is emerging information that AS people often react atypically to SSRI's, I felt a little hard done by.

There is now at least some support for your hypothesis. What treatment there might be for that, I'm not sure. The imagery and the impulse separated from a depressive mood is not, I suspect, typical.

The detached interest I know too. We'd have to enquire of others to see if it was found on the NT end of depreession as well.

Um, you need to tell your doc about this immediately. What you're describing is the really bad kind of suicidal ideation. This is exactly what they tell you to watch out for in medication side-effects and in suicide prevention seminars.

And don't worry about being locked away. Nobody locks you up for having an adverse reaction to your meds. But consult your doc at the earliest possible time, because this could turn into something really bad really fast, and there's an even chance you won't be able to control it or understand what is happening to you. It's chemically induced insanity.

I don't mean to be alarmist, but I don't think it's a good idea to play with this one. Get in and get those meds changed. Dozens of people kill themselves every year because they don't follow up on their ideations from meds.

OMG yes,

antidepressants specifically and other antianxiety meds are linked to suicidal impulses, especially in teenagers.

Do a Google it's huge news in the industry.

My aunt had a similar situation, she's in her 50s though, but her new meds made her VERY suicidal, it's like you describe, a random urge not really connected to much.

STOP THE MEDS!!

At least until you can get to a doctor. This is not somthing to mess with.

Yeah, I meant to mention that I had stopped taking the medication a couple days ago and I'm not having those thoughts any more (sorry, my brain is all cloudy and screwy from coming off the stuff; ugh I hate drugs). I seriously never felt out of control. I can see why children, teenagers, or immature adults might have problems though.

I'm glad the thoughts aren't bothering you the same way. This might be superflous to mention, but I'll say it anyway: be careful quitting those meds cold-turkey without supervision from the doc. That can drive you 'round the bend, too.

That is one hell of a crappy doctor. It is supposed to be his job to talk to you about suicidal ideation. You don't put someone in a straightjacket and leave them tied to a bed for a long time for suicidal ideation. That is for extremely combative people that won't give up, and they have to be let out of it as soon as they mellow out. Normal treatments for suicidal ideation involve some sort of outpatient therapy at either a hospital or office depending on severity. In cases where there is a more imminenet danger of them committing suicide, they may be admitted to a standard psych ward where they just keep an eye on people and keep them from having access to anything that can be used as a weapon during their treatment.

Exactly! Besides, the best way to prevent suicide is to keep asking them questions without giving any "advice", (i.e. the Socratic method) until one can get to the room of the problem. And do you really think that confining a person to a straightjacket will make them love life? It'll only give them a yet another incentive to take their life.