Discussion Ethics of suicidality in welfare professions

[Rocksandsand]

I work with teenagers who are in state care. Many of them experience mental illness due to trauma and have suicidal thoughts and ideation...

I don't know how I feel about having to keep the policy line of trying to cure their suicidal thoughts as someone who is very pro choice. I would love it if we had something to offer these kids (a stable home with people who love them unconditionally) that might solve the chronic suicidal urges, but there is no cure. And none for me either. Effectively I am acting the hypocrite here...

I am exceptionally stoned right now, so perhaps I'm just overthinking it. I just don't know how to feel about filling in assessments on these kids that sometimes are used to justify involuntary treatment, even though I just got my order of SN in. There's something incompatible happening there...

What do you guys think?

 

[Circles]

Nothing wrong with overthinking about it, but you'd get to a point where it feels pointless to change anything. I know there are good people like you who want to make a change but that's all being degraded and tarnished by the ignorant people behind the scenes. Just another thing outside our control sadly and yet another reason added to ctb.

 

[LogicalConclusion]

I agree with Circles; unfortunately, there's not much you can do, and that's no fault of yours. It's something I've observed for many many years while in the mental health system and hospitals and all that: the people who care don't have the power, and the people with the power don't care. It's a really terrible, awful thing and it shouldn't be this way. I wish there was more we could do and the cognitive dissonance you're experiencing is completely valid and, I think, normal given the circumstances.

 

[been_there]

That you're thinking about it in this way indicates that you are the sort of person who actually gives a shit and should continue working with them. But that's the trouble isn't it, those who know, go. Critical thinking will eventually be evolved out of humanity.