Discussion The "988" call-text center is a sham

[TheRottingContinues]

According to the terms of service at: https://988lifeline.org/chat-terms-of-service/

"We take your privacy and security very seriously. Security controls, including encryption and authentication, are in place to ensure the protection of your information. Any information provided by you or collected on you will not be shared or disclosed with any third party. We do, however, reserve the right to disclose any personal information to the authorities at our sole discretion and as required by law. Despite these protections, the Internet remains an imperfectly secure environment, and Vibrant Emotional Health cannot guarantee protection from intruders or interceptors. You agree to use this service and submit information at your own risk. You agree that Vibrant Emotional Health have no liability regarding unauthorized access to this service by a third party."

You cannot mention that you want to ctb or any of your thoughts, or you run the risk of a report. In my state the law requires that even the slightest mention of suicidal ideation must be referred. In the place that's supposed to be open and free, we cannot share what we actually think or else higher authority comes down on us.

This is why s/s is so important, not just for the methods and community, but also for the openendedness of what we can discuss. Without this website, I would still be alone with my thoughts.

 

[LastFlowers]

I recall that video parody of the suicide hotline, where it was actually a hotline that 'helped' suicidal people. (In our cases, it really would be a great service).
Considering how counterproductive the actual "prevention" hotline is and how it can lead to making peoples' lives exponentially more unlivable (like sending the police), I legitimately would not be surprised if the version of it in the video below (found it) somehow managed to avoid more death than the actual official hotline purporting to. The hotline in current use is more of a joke than the actual joking variation of itself.

 

[RainAndSadness]

Yeah that's very problematic. You need to be really careful with these hotlines, not all of them but many will report you to the authorities if they think you're about to harm yourself. And that's not good, it discourages people from seeking out help.

This is why s/s is so important, not just for the methods and community, but also for the openendedness of what we can discuss. Without this website, I would still be alone with my thoughts.

That's the point. The media will never understand that, they attack and slander us while most of these hotlines don't even respect your privacy and basic autonomy as an adult, both are violated the moment they send the police to your home without your consent. As long as suicide prevention doesn't recognise that involuntary intervention is contraproductive because it makes things worse, we're not going anywhere with these suicide numbers. It contributes to the stigma around suicide and that's what makes people keep their mouth shut. And that will lead to more suicides which could have been prevented with a different approach.

And that's why people use this forum instead because we treat our members with respect and here they receive proper peer-to-peer support, which very often is more meaningful and more effective than those hotlines who still think violating your basic rights and the trauma that is a direct results of the intervention somehow works in your favor? Members in this forum appreciate the fact that they can talk about their struggles without the risk of intervention and a forced pro-life narrative, it makes them feel a lot safer expressing themselves. That's the appeal of this forum. But of course none of the jouirnalists writing slanderous articles about us will ever mention that, they're ignorant and stupid, defending a broken system that doesn't understand suicidal people and that is therefore incapable of addressing the real issues that make people commit suicide in the first place while pointing the finger at us - as if it all of that is our fault. Heroic.

 

[MatrixPrisoner]

It's completely useless indeed. I can't believe that Logic dude wrote a song about it. Everyone knows it's a joke.

 

[Rogue Proxy]

I recall that video parody of the suicide hotline, where it was actually a hotline that 'helped' suicidal people. (In our cases, it really would be a great service).
Considering how counterproductive the actual "prevention" hotline is and how it can lead to making peoples' lives exponentially more unlivable (like sending the police), I legitimately would not be surprised if the version of it in the video below (found it) somehow managed to avoid more death than the actual official hotline purporting to. The hotline in current use is more of a joke than the actual joking variation of itself.

Reminds me of the cutaway gag from Mongrels about Kali the pigeon "helping" suicidal people:


But seriously, it pays to read the fine print to avoid getting hooked by a suicide line.

 

[wait.what]

Translifeline.org does not practice "non-consensual intervention" i.e., sending in the cops. (When cops show up, trans people tend to die.) It looks like the hotline is staffed 24/7 now, which is pretty great.

They also have a pretty impressive list of other hotlines. I presume the staff at these don't call the cops either, but as @Rogue Proxy said above, always read the fine print. Trust, but verify.

 

[TheRottingContinues]

As long as suicide prevention doesn't recognise that involuntary intervention is contraproductive because it makes things worse, we're not going anywhere with these suicide numbers.

I've had the cops called on me twice, been to a 5150 mental hospital and back. It was a miserable experience. And everything that followed after was just as bad. The mental hospital that they held me in was in terrible conditions: they didn't help at all. Luckily, right before I realized I was gonna be admitted, I memorized the rights of mental health patients (under the lanterman-petris-short act), and wrote up a legal notice about all the rights they violated, at least ten. I submitted the notice to the administration and threatened a lawsuit, and they let me go.

Miserable experience. Outside intervention doesn't help at all.

 

[アホペンギン]

Oh, you're suicidal or having thoughts of harming yourself? Dial 988 and if you're deemed as someone fit for psychiatric evaluation and warding we will involuntarily send police to your house and forcibly lock you in a psych ward and any noncompliance will result in even further punishment and a medication salad!!!

 

[Iris Blue]

Yes I've maybe had some thoughts or considered contacting them a few times but I heard it's complete bs, and like every experience is different. No way I'm risking that to get the cops called on me I'd rather suffer alone in peace and quiet thank you. I even saw one of the signs at the park today while I was looking for a tree to CTB with and had a good laugh.

 

[asian.neet]

Oh, you're suicidal or having thoughts of harming yourself? Dial 988 and if you're deemed as someone fit for psychiatric evaluation and warding we will involuntarily send police to your house and forcibly lock you in a psych ward and any noncompliance will result in even further punishment and a medication salad!!!

Don't get me started with homicidal ideation. They will absolutely do that in 100% of cases and fuck up your life.

A call to 988 will not help you. But rather fuck up your life.

 

[asian.neet]

We do, however, reserve the right to disclose any personal information to the authorities at our sole discretion and as required by law.

You cannot mention that you want to ctb or any of your thoughts, or you run the risk of a report. In my state the law requires that even the slightest mention of suicidal ideation must be referred. In the place that's supposed to be open and free, we cannot share what we actually think or else higher authority comes down on us.

This is why s/s is so important, not just for the methods and community, but also for the openendedness of what we can discuss. Without this website, I would still be alone with my thoughts.

Fucking hypocrites this org needs to burn down they aren't helping the true depressed people it's more of a liability at this point so they can say "well we tried" instead of the state being held responsible for their actions against their population