If i tell a mental health professional that i own and intend to use SN at some point without mentioning a specific date, can i get sectioned? (uk)

[coolgal82]

As the title says, if i were to confess to some kind of mental health professional that i own or have ordered SN and intend to use it to end my life at some point in the near future, without mentioning/having a specific date in mind, would they have enough grounds to involuntarily hospitalise me? everything i've seen says that you need to have a specific date planned for them to do anything but im still worried idk, idk exactly how much to say because i've been talking to my doctor about referral to a psychiatrist for my issues to figure out what the issue is, and idk what exactly to say to them.

 

[willitpass]

Yes. If you tell them you have access to a very lethal means that serves no purpose but to off yourself, I don't think they're going to care if you have a date. All it would take is one bad day for you to decide to take it. I know the mental health care system is very broken in the UK, but I can imagine at the very least they will find a way to confiscate it.

 

[MatrixPrisoner]

Not "can". You will. They are required by law to.

 

[letmegetout]

Yeh you're likely to end up in hospital, I stupidly mentioned I was trying to find SN and I got put on a section 2 and I hadn't even ordered it

 

[timetodie24]

It's possible but not 100% , it really depends on. Many factors like past risk, diagnosis , living situation, current support, professional opinion etc. plenty people aren't sectioned even after near fatal attempts. It can be a bit of a lottery what happens here tbh. Ime, when i had plans and means , they asked for my means but couldn't force me to give them up. Even when i told them i had date (and did attempt it) they did very little. But it was antifreeze which has more time to intervene so idk about SN. Although lots of people on here weren't sectioned after the IC SN welfare checks so idk.

I was sectioned after repeated attempts though. But they offered home treatment team and informal admission first. It was only after refusing i was sectioned. So it can depend on how willing you are to 'engage' with their suggestions.
If you want to try getting help first then do tell them but just consider that it may lead to admission . As sounds like you're uncertain atm ? You could probably negotiate having crisis / home treatment team (some areas call it intensive support service) instead . Services are very stretched so sectioning isnt that common. Just depends what risks you're willing to take and whether you're uncertain on ctb vs recovery at all.

 

[SilentSadness]

Unfortunately, they can section anyone they think is a "danger to themself" which basically means for any reason, and no one will care if it was illegal. If you want to communicate your problems to your psychiatrist, in my opinion it's better to tell them about why you're suffering rather than any methods you've planned, that's not their business.

 

[metothemoon]

Dont know the UK law. But as soon as you are a threat to yourself, healthcare professionals are obliged to take action.
Better to tell them you are suffering, cause isnt that what you are trying to say?

 

[ijustwishtodie]

Why on earth would you even want to tell someone that you're getting SN? That's just so absurd and ludicrous to me. If you're going to get SN, you should keep it a secret from everybody as telling people can jeopardise your suicide attempt. If you plan to tell somebody, you might as well not even get SN to begin with

 

[mythofsisyphus]

Im curious why you want to tell them? I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing - I personally totally get it. Perhaps just think about what's driving this desire - is it stemming from hope that things could improve, maybe a part of you your blind to that wants to be helped? Just think about this before fully committing to any decision - this is a decision you obviously can't come back from, and obviously I don't know your situation, but often if we want to have hope, I think there is hope.

 

[NoPoint2Life]

Maybe you're like me. I sometimes feel an overwhelming desire to tell someone especially my therapist for OCD. But I can't. And I won't as I don't want to be stopped if I ever try again . Sometimes it's torture keeping it in like when I did try to ctb last year and no one knew. It certainly was not a cry for help. I told no one but five weeks later I contacted the OCD therapist I had been seeing before and confessed to him. I had searched online and was pretty sure there was nothing he could do at that point. But I'm in the US.

 

[Davey40210]

I would get an online one that doesn't know your address.. its safer that way, I saw some stories of people getting forced into some treatment etc on here.

 

[coolgal82]

Why on earth would you even want to tell someone that you're getting SN? That's just so absurd and ludicrous to me. If you're going to get SN, you should keep it a secret from everybody as telling people can jeopardise your suicide attempt. If you plan to tell somebody, you might as well not even get SN to begin with

Im curious why you want to tell them? I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing - I personally totally get it. Perhaps just think about what's driving this desire - is it stemming from hope that things could improve, maybe a part of you your blind to that wants to be helped? Just think about this before fully committing to any decision - this is a decision you obviously can't come back from, and obviously I don't know your situation, but often if we want to have hope, I think there is hope.

im ngl i have no idea. it's been hard enough not to yap about it to my internet friends. some part of my brain just wants me to. Also theoretically with how unstable my mood is if i get super happy and decide life is worth living for a little bit i could end up saying something. idfk. i did that with another method i have access to and then lost that method.

I think partially my brain is just hyperfixated on it and thus wants to talk about it constantly cus its always on my mind idfk?

Also the fact that I'm like looking to see a psychiatrist just to use up the one last avenue of help i have left (the SN is a backup but i can imagine i'll end up using it) and like if they ask about this stuff im really bad at lying so i might just tell them (tbf its barely even looking for help i just want like answers as to why im like this really like some closure or something i guess?)

 

[alltoomuch2]

My MH workers know I have what I need for a few methods including what I've referred to as "poison" and I'm sure they know what it is. ( in response to those who've said why would you tell them, it's been when Im in crisis). they also know that I intend to use it if my therapy is unsuccessful. I've not been sectioned. I have sometimes been referred to the crisis team (who are brilliant in our county), but it's very unusual to be sectioned. You have to be really really suicidal or a clear danger to others (although sometimes not even then as the fairly recent events have proved) and not amenable to persuasion by the crisis team.

Im curious why you want to tell them? I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing - I personally totally get it. Perhaps just think about what's driving this desire - is it stemming from hope that things could improve, maybe a part of you your blind to that wants to be helped? Just think about this before fully committing to any decision - this is a decision you obviously can't come back from, and obviously I don't know your situation, but often if we want to have hope, I think there is hope.

That's the case for me. I really don't want to die. I want to be happy. I've told them that i'm going to exit if therapy doesn't work because I'm always totally honest with them. When I've been in crisis I've splurged out what I have to enable me to do it but never mentioned sn by name. They know it isn't otc meds and I'm sure they know what it is but they aren't going to name it in case i didn't know about sn, and I'm not going to tell them.

 

[undecided]

No, in my experience, they'll say, "that's your choice, you have the mental capacity to decide if you want to die ".

 

[darknessishere]

Yes, definitely

 

[alltoomuch2]

Yes, definitely

My CPN knows and I'm not sectioned (I'm in the UK)

 

[TAW122]

I'm not from the UK, but even in the US, (dependent on jurisdiction and the mental health professional) it very well could be a thing. Even if it was illegal detainment, the legal system wouldn't do very much so there is even fewer recourse (mental health professional's credibility vs a patient's credibility, sadly the institutions and the populace would side with the MHP more than the patient). In short, it's a bad idea, never mention methods or risk of harm to others or oneself if one doesn't wish to get intervened upon.

 

[maniac116]

If you tell any " licensed" health professionals that you have the means & desire to take your own life then they have a duty to report you or risk losing their license

 

[darknessishere]

I could be incorrect but it's risky in the states. Here it would be the exact boxes checked to be sectioned. Sorry for your suffering.

 

[byebyeblondie]

I'm in the UK. I told the mental health nurse yesterday that I was fed up and didn't want to be here anymore (that's putting it very briefly!). She asked me if I had a plan and I said yes. I said I had the means to carry out my plan and what circumstances I would do it under but that I did not have a specific date. They just got home treatment team/ crisis team involved. I did not mention SN. I was scared they'd search my house and take it (is that even a thing they would do? I don't know!).

I agree with other posts that it is down to individual circumstances and your history/ risk factors/ support you have etc.

I guess you just have to tell them what you feel is right when the time comes?

I hope that things improve for you though.

 

[alltoomuch2]

If you tell any " licensed" health professionals that you have the means & desire to take your own life then they have a duty to report you or risk losing their license

Not in the UK they dont

I'm in the UK. I told the mental health nurse yesterday that I was fed up and didn't want to be here anymore (that's putting it very briefly!). She asked me if I had a plan and I said yes. I said I had the means to carry out my plan and what circumstances I would do it under but that I did not have a specific date. They just got home treatment team/ crisis team involved. I did not mention SN. I was scared they'd search my house and take it (is that even a thing they would do? I don't know!).

I agree with other posts that it is down to individual circumstances and your history/ risk factors/ support you have etc.

I guess you just have to tell them what you feel is right when the time comes?

I hope that things improve for you though.

Yeah that's my experience. The crisis team are an alternative to sectioning. They're much better than hospital too. My crisis team are great. They're not allowed to search your house.

 

[opheliaoveragain]

Hard yes.

Yes. If you tell them you have access to a very lethal means that serves no purpose but to off yourself, I don't think they're going to care if you have a date. All it would take is one bad day for you to decide to take it. I know the mental health care system is very broken in the UK, but I can imagine at the very least they will find a way to confiscate it.

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