I noticed the suicide hotline phone number at the top of the page and have a question. A few years ago I was going through a difficult time (I still am) and told my doctor I THOUGHT about suicide. I promised him I wouldn't go through with it, but still he decided he needed to take action - probably for liability concerns - and after I left his office he called the police and told them I was a danger to myself. I returned home and was just sitting on the couch when the police knocked on my door and told me that my doctor had called them and that they had no choice but to send me to a county facility for 24 hour observation. I was calm and compliant (police scare me), and allowed them to handcuff me and take me to the facility. I was classified as a 5150. It was a terrible experience that I NEVER want to repeat. I've been very careful not to mention the "S" word when I'm depressed because I don't want to repeat that experience.

I'm wondering if I get to the point where I really am desperate enough to call a suicide hotline if the person on the other end of the phone will alert the police and lock me up again. I'm at the end of my rope, so to speak, and want to talk to someone, but don't want to be treated like a criminal, handcuffed and locked up in a room full of bipolar people off their meds, homeless people who don't mind being locked up because it's better than the streets, and dangerous people who shouldn't be locked in a room with depressed teenagers. What to do?

Please do not be afraid to call the suicide hotline if you are feeling so depressed and thinking about it.

I don't believe they can ID you - your call is confidential. Their purpose is not to call the police.

Please call them if you feel the need.

I guess your doctor did what they thought was needed. I'm sorry you had such a negative experience and it sounds like you didn't get the help you needed.

Please try again to reach out for help in your community. We on this board can be of very limited assistance to you.

I worked for the federal government at a call center for a few years. If we had someone suicidal on the line we would call for police backup to intervene. That was what we tried to do and to keep them on the line until help arrived.

Please don't be afraid to reach out for help if you are feeling that depressed. Do you have a therapist you can call? Are you being treated for depression? That is something your doctor can treat you for in addition to getting therapy from a qualified therapist if you have one.

You can also ask the suicide hotline how anonymous your call is? But on the other hand they aren't doing you any favors if you're really suicidal if they don't intervene. Please reach out and seek help.

Thank you, Amyjo, for the direct answer.

A longer term solution would be to get counseling. If you are in college, your college should have a student health center which offers counseling. If you are working or still on your parents' insurance, most insurance plans offer ten sessions and often employee assistance/help lines. Or call your community agency in charge of health/mental health and see if you can get a referral for sliding-fee counseling.

In some cases the right meds can help.

Can you tell us why you feel depressed? We are not professional counselors, but we are good listeners.

It’s my understanding that certain professionals have a legal obligation to notify authorities if a client / patient indicates they are suicidal.
Don’t be too angry at the Dr....

Life is really hard sometimes. Do you have family or friends in your life right now? What is your situation 5150? When I get to thinking that my life is bad it helps to remember that there are many people who have things worse. Gives a new perspective on things. Hope you can find some support and comfort here.

Unfortunately it is not safe to answer the door to police ever. Don't talk to them unless absolutely necessary. It is also not safe to admit to anyone ever that you are suicidal. Our society imprisons them in psych wards for doing so. Sad state of affairs to be sure, but that is reality.

I had an experience slightly similar to yours, especially the result.
I'm sorry to say that I must agree with popsicle sticks's answer. YES, any mental health agency or suicide prevention helpline will send the police. Never even crack the door for them. IF you can block your telephone number from appearing, then call.
The laws in this country give us few options, and most 'professionals' still view people with depression as defectives who should be given prescription meds at almost any cost (side effects and the like), even though research shows only about one-third of patients experience any improvements due to meds. I finally found some help via certain nutritional supplements.
Please DO keep looking until you find a trustworthy and caring counselor. Most of all, know that our modern-era viewpoint about depression is practically hysterical; in most earlier eras, people who suffered from 'melancholy' were not shamed, and I hope you don't feel any now.