Have you ever called a suicide/crisis hotline?

I called one once for help about someone else who was suicidal. They helped by setting me up with a psychiatrist for a free pro-bono appointment to discuss the situation and what I ought to do about it. That was sort of useful.

I have called a few times. I’m still alive, so yes, it was helpful.

I am now in a position in my recovery where I have the coping skills to handle situations as the arise.

I work for a governmental department that has a crisis line. I also receive calls from people with mental illness, and I have had to make 3-way calls with the crisis line to get them the urgent help they need.

I highly recommend to anyone who is in crisis to reach out. I have been in that position. I’m only alive because there was someone on the other end of the phone in 2003.

The hotline in the US is 800–273-TALK (8255). For numbers in other countries, click here

Edit . Yes. They didn’t seem knowledgeable. Felt that I was wasting their and my time. I’m here so I guessed it worked.

Yes, I have. I suffer from Bipolar disorder so it’s all ups and some downs too. I didn’t know I had bipolar until I was much older. So you could say I called quite a few. Some were fantastic, mostly I called about acute anxiety or depression. I can’t remember saying I was suicidal. Some have been really crappy and I wish I hadn’t bothered. So my advice is to keep trying until someone else answers if the person was not that helpful.

I’ve never really called a line, but I worked as a phone counselor, trainer, and for a short time, director of such an crisis intervention hotline in the 1970’s. The training was pretty extensive, and there was as much training on what not to say as there was on what to say. We had a pretty comprehensive referral list, to access more extensive help than we were trained to provide.

If you need help, try. You can’t get a hand up, if you don’t reach out.

I would add that if this is for your personal need @rockfan , you have my support. Life is hard, I know. But we don’t have to go through the worst of it alone. Since you’re a music fan, I’ll say “we all need somebody to lean on.”

Keep hope alive.

Peace n love.

I, too, never called a crisis hotline but I worked as a volunteer counselor for a year decades ago. I saved a life and met some fine people.

I called last night and I hung up on the artificial intelligence lady who said that she was suicide and crisis hotline. As I wasn’t suicidal or not sure how bad that I was in a crisis. I just needed to talk to someone and it was too late to call any of my network of helpers. I couldn’t tell if I had, a panic attack, or anxiety attack, or constipated.