could my therapist get in trouble if i ctb?

[figtree]

one of many things i think about is if my therapist would be affected if/when i can finally ctb. can a therapist be blamed for this if they were aware of suicidal ideation? (i always disclaim plan or intent and assure safety). i feel extremely guilty thinking it could affect the life/job of one of the only people who has tried to help me.
i've also thought about terminating treatment beforehand if i have enough notice but i also worry about raising suspicion. idk. i hope this makes sense.

 

[Georg]

can a therapist be blamed for this if they were aware of suicidal ideation?

I dont think so. Patients going ctb is a part of their job. Dont worry about this.

 

[draingang]

if somebody is aware of your suicidal thoughts and does nothing to help they might be held accountable, but if they tried to help you (so things like therapy etc.) nothing would really happen to them. at least that is the case where i live

 

[TAW122]

Good answers so far, and I will say that therapists, mental health professionals, medical professionals, social workers, law enforcement, teachers, educators, etc. are all mandated reporters meaning that by law, they would be required to report any harm, abuse, and/or danger to self, society at large, regardless of whether they themselves want to or not.

So in short, if they have knowledge of your plan, intention, and means to carry out CTB (especially imminently, like immediately, or in a short span of time, days, or weeks, possibly a month or so), then they would end up reporting it otherwise they could face legal and professional consequences for not doing so.

However, like others have said, if they have no knowledge of it (assuming you didn't tell them or you assured them that you are not going to imminently carry out CTB nor at risk for doing so), then no, they cannot get into trouble if you do end up CTB'ing.

 

[Shadowlord900]

I assume if they said they tried to discourage you from going through with your plans and thought they succeeded, I doubt they would get into trouble. If they really thought you was gonna go through with it/lie to them, they would have already called emergencies to take you to a psyche ward. Chances of therapists being held accountable for you CTBing are extremely low. You'd have to come across one who was really stupid that didn't try to discourage you while you either have a witness or had the conversation recorded.

 

[WaitingToGo]

Good answers so far, and I will say that therapists, mental health professionals, medical professionals, social workers, law enforcement, teachers, educators, etc. are all mandated reporters meaning that by law, they would be required to report any harm, abuse, and/or danger to self, society at large, regardless of whether they themselves want to or not.

So in short, if they have knowledge of your plan, intention, and means to carry out CTB (especially imminently, like immediately, or in a short span of time, days, or weeks, possibly a month or so), then they would end up reporting it otherwise they could face legal and professional consequences for not doing so.

However, like others have said, if they have no knowledge of it (assuming you didn't tell them or you assured them that you are not going to imminently carry out CTB nor at risk for doing so), then no, they cannot get into trouble if you do end up CTB'ing.

As far as I know, that's not the case here in NL. From what I told therapists and doctors I could've been sectioned if I were in any other country

 

[jodes2]

Very unlikely. It happens all the time. Bad judgement calls happen all the time and they don't get in trouble. It would need gross negligence for anything to happen to them

 

[bolt]

depends on a number of factors. If it is an active vs. passive SI, whether they have taken steps, etc.....

 

[Linda]

It would depend on circumstances, but there could be some risk to your therapist. My nephew is a psychiatrist, and he explained to me the perspective of his colleagues. Many of them are in fact reluctant to treat potentially suicidal patients, because it can be a no-win situation for them. If they learn that a patient is suicidal and they force that patient into a secure mental hospital, many people (probably including the patient) will accuse them of abusing their patient. But if they don't, and their patient then commits suicide, they run the risk of being sued by relatives. (I don't think they would get in trouble with their colleagues, who will be aware of how difficult it is to get this right.) So, to answer your question, much may depend on the kind of relatives you have.

 

[BlackWednesday]

I highly doubt it. Unless there was some evidence that they encouraged you or something

 

[girlsboysthems]

one of many things i think about is if my therapist would be affected if/when i can finally ctb. can a therapist be blamed for this if they were aware of suicidal ideation? (i always disclaim plan or intent and assure safety). i feel extremely guilty thinking it could affect the life/job of one of the only people who has tried to help me.
i've also thought about terminating treatment beforehand if i have enough notice but i also worry about raising suspicion. idk. i hope this makes sense.

They are mandated reporters, but you deny any plans so there isn't much they can get blamed for. However your family can sue and they can get called to court to testify, but it usually doesn't happen and its very hard to prove what was going on during the sessions. I had the same thought of dropping them because I feel bad for killing myself while in treatment.

 

[Midnight-rain]

A therapist I used to have told me that one of her colleagues had a patient ctb after having attempted to treat this person for a good amount of time. Probably a year or so. And iirc they switched to my ex therapist for 2 or 3 sessions before never showing up again.

My ex therapist had a sinking suspicion that something was wrong and upon looking into it, she found out. I recount this anecdote because both her and her colleague still had their jobs. As long as the patient denies having a plan they're in the clear legally speaking.

 

[AboutBlank]

This varies from country to country but broadly speaking if you didnt tell them you had a plan then they cant get into trouble at all

 

[lionetta12]

one of many things i think about is if my therapist would be affected if/when i can finally ctb. can a therapist be blamed for this if they were aware of suicidal ideation? (i always disclaim plan or intent and assure safety). i feel extremely guilty thinking it could affect the life/job of one of the only people who has tried to help me.
i've also thought about terminating treatment beforehand if i have enough notice but i also worry about raising suspicion. idk. i hope this makes sense.

No. There would be no more therapists in this world if that was the case.

 

[figtree]

thank you everyone. i feel a bit better about it

 

[WeepingWillow]

If you explicitly tell them you are going to kill yourself or commit a crime, go through with said plan and they do not take action they are 100% going to be liable and could lose their license to practice. Particularly if they are the last point of contact. Criminal charges are highly unlikely though.