Help scared about opening up to therapist and getting reported

[justasmalltowngirl6]

i've decided to make an honest effort to get better. I start therapy next monday !! however, i'm really worried about the limits of what i can say without getting reported to the authorities. i want to be able to talk about how i've been thinking about (and even planning) to ctb but i'm so scared that i'll be taken away for talking about it. i don't want to just keep bottling it up but at the same time i don't want to risk it even a bit. does anyone else have any experience with this sort of situation?

 

[Graveyardly]

It depends a lot of where you live honestly. Personally I constantly bring my suicidal ideation to therapy, and when I started saying I had the means to do it and was thinking about it my therapist still needed my consent to send me to a clinic. I'm still waiting to get in.

So I guess is how you present it to your doc. If you go "if I walk out that door you're never seeing me alive again" they're kinda obligated to do something. Some countries can force intern you, some can't, look up yours.

Bringing the topic in will make your therapist 100% more on edge, but it might make it essential for them to understand how you feel.

 

[BeanCurd]

As Graveyardly has said, it can depend on your location and also the individual therapist.

It might be worth asking your therapist what their professional approach to suicidal ideation and suicidality is, and what their thresholds are. My understanding is some are more trigger happy than others (if you'll pardon the pun lol). You can ask this without disclosing anything (if you want to obscure your motive for asking, you could come prepared with a range of questions about their practice not related to suicide, but possibly still related to safety, reporting etc.). Do you know whether your therapist specialises in suicidality, or has a lot of experience in this area? That can also make a difference.

I have personally found it helpful to test the waters, and bring things in slowly. I also explicitly raised my fear of being sectioned with them, and they explained a bit more about their approach in response, which I found reassuring. I've heard the line is generally where it moves into intent with means and a timeframe, but it really does vary. They may want to do a safety plan with you, but that doesn't mean you're going to get sectioned.

All the best, and let us know how it goes if you'd like :)

 

[GodzillasBiggestFan]

im starting therapy again next monday too. i am also worried about the same. i had therapy with this therapist before in the past. near the end of one session she asked me if i felt safe, i hesitated before saying yes and she noticed my hesitation and asked if i could confirm more that i felt safe, and that it didn't have to be verbal i could just do thumbs up or thumbs down and i just got scared and did thumbs up. after that i stopped going because i felt bad for lying, i had attempted recently before that and was planning again then too. i think it depends on the therapist, my close friend who's also suicidal i think he said he's mentioned suicidal thoughts to his therapist and been okay. when i mentioned it to my high school therapist though (way long ago/different therapist) it caused trouble for me. i have heard you can ask them ahead of time what they do if you mention suicide. i'm scared to ask my therapist again but then maybe i will have to, i dont know.

 

[booplesnoot34]

Never tell anyone anything about CTB unless you are okay with losing your freedom and being locked up. You can get therapy for depression and really benefit from it without ever revealing you are thinking about CTB or self-harm. Therapists help you develop coping skills and work through emotions and stressful/traumatic experiences. None of that requires confession that can get you committed.