If failed attempt: can you be sectioned against your will?

[Notabadguy]

If you fail a CTB attempt, can you be sectioned against your will, despite it's more an existential thing than a mental illness?

 

[autumnal]

If you fail a CTB attempt, can you be sectioned against your will, despite it's more an existential thing than a mental illness?

Yes, absolutely. Most laws relating to sectioning more broadly cover risk of harming self or others, rather than specifically requiring the attempt to be definitively related to a diagnosed mental illness.

Please don't assume you will be able to talk your way out of a sectioning by describing your attempt as 'more an existential thing'.

 

[IrRegularjoe]

Yes

 

[Jean Améry]

That would depend on the specific law(s) where you live. If you need a proper answer you need to consult a lawyer with expertise in the relevant legal system.

Generally speaking the motif for a suicide attempt doesn't matter. All that mattes is that the condition 'danger to self' (or a similar expression) is met. That being said I've heard or read about cases in which the attempt wasn't deemed serious enough or there was something else at play and they were released from hospital without involuntary commitment.

As to the element 'mental illness': as suicide and self-harm in general is deemed to be very closely linked to mental illness I'm sure they won't have any trouble finding an 'appropriate' diagnosis' to justify the incarceration. 'Rational suicide' is a concept vehemently denied by most 'mental health professionals'.

Since mental illness isn't a scientific concept and its presence in an individual can't be definitely proven or disproven it follows that you can't prove doctor XYZ's opinion ('diagnosis' in their lingo) is incorrect. No-one can prove they're not mentally ill: all you can do is try to find another doctor who is willing to state categorically you're not mentally ill (difficult if there's proof you tried to do yourself in for the abovementioned reason) and hope that is enough.

With that in mind I think it's safe to conclude that in the case of a serious suicide attempt (i.e. real danger to life) there's a high likelihood of being sectioned. Regardless of how good or rational a reason you think you have. They will simply disregard your opinion and deny your autonomy in making the choice.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

They would section you to "protect" you, and the doctors would probably tell you it's mental illness that makes you think it's existential and rational, and they'd try to convince or coerce you to take meds, and make you sit through ridiculous CBT groups to learn acronyms to change your thinking.

 

[itsallover]

I wasn't sectioned. I live in the U.S. and after a major overdose complete with a seizure, and four or so day coma, I was then taken from the ICU to some other section of the hospital where three "very serious" doctors told me how deep and dark my suicide letter was and then just said you're going to the psych ward where I spent about a month and a half basically because I wasn't agreeing with frying my brain with ECT in the beginning until I saw it was my only way out and did as doctor knows best haha.

 

[Dahlia]

Yo también soy española y gallega y la respuesta es depende, la regla general es que no te internen en contra de tu voluntad, si lo fueran a hacer depende del psiquiatra que te vea si vas al hospital por un intento, es probable que te quedes en planta para observarte algunos días no? Es lo lógico, si ven que eres un peligro inminente puede que te lleven a algún centro psiquiátrico pero necesitan autorización judicial en un máximo de 24 horas con lo que eso supone (entendiendo que hablamos de un internamiento civil). De todas formas es mejor que busques la normativa o el protocolo a seguir de internamiento forzoso del sergas.

 

[mathieu]

I've heard of this happening but it's never happened to me personally.

 

[SpottedPanda]

You can definitely get sectioned after a failed suicide attempt, if it's deemed serious enough, and if it's seen that your intent is to fatally harm yourself again

 

[muffin222]

Yes, absolutely

 

[Soulless_Angel]

They will hold you for your own safety, if they feel the attempt was serious enough, how long that is though depends

 

[prochoicefriend]

If you are found, they will haul you to the nearby ER. Then, you will talk to the nurses and a social worker. What happens next depends on what you tell them. If you are smart, you might be able to convince them you don't need to go to a mental health hospital. However, it's pretty difficult. They will have to be absolutely sure that you won't harm yourself again.

 

[Darksektori]

Happened to me, don't remember exactly how long ago, but I was hospitalized on suicide watch after trying to slice my arms open with a broken fluorescent light bulb narrowly missing the. Brachial artery. And honestly you dont know what hell is until you've been to the psych ward where they treat you like a science experiment. And fill you with a chemical lobotomy drug cocktail. It follows you for years, even in recent years I've tried applying for a FOID card to acquire what I need to CTB unfortunately that psych ward visit made me ineligible, go figure.

 

[Whale_bones]

I wasn't sectioned. I live in the U.S. and after a major overdose complete with a seizure, and four or so day coma, I was then taken from the ICU to some other section of the hospital where three "very serious" doctors told me how deep and dark my suicide letter was and then just said you're going to the psych ward where I spent about a month and a half basically because I wasn't agreeing with frying my brain with ECT in the beginning until I saw it was my only way out and did as doctor knows best haha.

In the U.S. we don't refer to it as sectioning, that word isn't used here. We go to psychiatric inpatient either "voluntarily" or " involuntarily". In your case doctors told you you were going to a psych ward, you don't mention whether they offered you to go voluntarily or not, but it's extremely likely you would have been labeled involuntary (the U.S. equivalent of sectioned) had you refused. Even if you initially went in as a voluntary patient, you would have been made involuntary if you tried to leave, since you say they wouldn't let you leave while you refused to comply with the specific treatment of ECT.

 

[GoBack]

Voluntary v involuntary is such a lie here. They convince you to go in voluntarily and that you would be a voluntary patient and you can leave whenever you want. Then when you're in there you find out you can't leave till they say, so you were involuntary all along. The system is designed to confuse

 

[SpottedPanda]

In the U.S. we don't refer to it as sectioning, that word isn't used here. We go to psychiatric inpatient either "voluntarily" or " involuntarily". In your case doctors told you you were going to a psych ward, you don't mention whether they offered you to go voluntarily or not, but it's extremely likely you would have been labeled involuntary (the U.S. equivalent of sectioned) had you refused. Even if you initially went in as a voluntary patient, you would have been made involuntary if you tried to leave, since you say they wouldn't let you leave while you refused to comply with the specific treatment of ECT.

Sectioning refers to the section of The Mental Health Act. Don't you call yours The Baker Act? We also refer to them as involuntary and voluntary stays.

 

[crea_the_hopeless]

Sectioning refers to the section of The Mental Health Act. Don't you call yours The Baker Act? We also refer to them as involuntary and voluntary stays.

I'm from the US and I've heard healthcare professionals refer to it as sectioning as well as involuntary commitment. It's happened to me a few times.

Regardless OP, if you try to hurt yourself and they have evidence (Suicide attempt, fresh self harm wounds, etc) or if you tell them that you presently want to hurt yourself they will section you "for your safety." No if ands or buts about it.

If you want to avoid that the best thing to do is not be found after an attempt, or lie lie lie.

 

[Whale_bones]

Sectioning refers to the section of The Mental Health Act. Don't you call yours The Baker Act? We also refer to them as involuntary and voluntary stays.

We have different statutes for each state, so the Baker Act is actually only in the state of Florida. It's become really common to use it as slang for involuntary commitment, so it's definitely the most well-known of the laws. A few states have important differences in their statutes, but many of them have the same or similar rules as the Baker Act, they just have different names.

 

[SpottedPanda]

We have different statutes for each state, so the Baker Act is actually only in the state of Florida. It's become really common to use it as slang for involuntary commitment, so it's definitely the most well-known of the laws. A few states have important differences in their statutes, but many of them have the same or similar rules as the Baker Act, they just have different names.

That makes sense actually. It's what someone from Florida told me. I keep forgetting that your laws and rules vary from state to state, and not in blanket terms, as in the UK.

 

[livingded]

Yes, if they find you and save you, you will be put into the hospital.