suicidal thoughts- scared to go to GP in case Im admitted

[gordie1]

Hi there the last few days I have been having suicidal thoughts with racing thoughts. I dont want to go and see my GP in case I am admitted straight into hospital> My thoughts are racing at 100 miles an hour and having suicidal thoughts. feeling pretty crap what will doctor do if I tell him I am having suicidal thoughts ?

[vpfrends]

Hi gordie1 - I'm not a doctor nor an expert on anything medical, but I'm almost certain you cannot be admitted to hospital (or kept in hospital) without your permission, unless perhaps you are an immediate danger to yourself or others. You are always allowed to refuse treatment unless you are committed for your own safety, which in your case I don't think would be necessary as you seem to be fully in control of yourself and not psychotic, and a doctor would understand that.

I know exactly how these thoughts feel, and I think it's important you feel able to reach out for help without being afraid of being taken away. A GP would not do anything like that, they are there to support you. However they will advise you seek treatment depending on how distressed you are, and if you are overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts there are worse places you can be than at a hospital - they will not lock you in a scary room or anything, they will most likely try to calm you down and talk to you. Nobody can make you do anything you feel uncomfortable with unless you are psychotic or something similar.

If you're anxious about going to the GP, you can phone the Samaritans (08457 90 90 90), or another talkline, who will be able to give you much better advice and support. And I promise if you do go to the GP no one will think you're insane or unstable for feeling suicidal, doctors are trained for that exact purpose in order to deal with all kinds of complaints. I went to the GP recently for the same reason and they helped me very professionally and smoothly. Just do what is right for you, but please do seek help, just in whatever way you feel most comfortable :)

[worrywart29]

I would say if the suicide thoughts begin to get to intrusive, that you should seek help immediately. It would never hurt to get helpbfor a situation like this. I wish you the best of luck.

[MyNameIsTerry]

It will be worth reading MIND's explanation of the law which will explain all of this for you:

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/legal-rights/sectioning/about-sectioning/#.VaSOxV9Viko

Notice how your GP can't actually section you anyway. He/she can be a part of the review team but the decision sits with the professional in charge, not your GP and there must be at least 2 reviewing with that professional.

Suicidal thoughts are NOT a measure of whether you could be at risk. They are common in mental health disorders. My therapist had me filling in forms at each session and one of these was a risk of potential harm form. On this you were asked a few questions and my therapist told me that the concern is more when someone has contemplated how they would do it, not that they want to end their lives. Every form had "Do you feel like life isn't work living?" ticked you Yes but there are additional questions about whether you would actually do it (rating scale), whether you have considered the method and why you would not do anything. These are for the therapist to monitor your risk of harm.

Also, suicidal thoughts can be found in certain mental health disorders such as OCD, depression and likely any really. They can be intrusive in OCD and that alone is not enough because in OCD Pure O forms are well know to contain violent or sexual themes.

I think you should talk to your GP because you need help. They are not going to have you sectioned unless you are a risk to yourself or others. Are you? Do you believe you could act on your thoughts?

If these are intrusive thoughts that are scaring you, remember that intrusives are not a measure of who we are and they scare us because they are the opposite of our values.

If you believe you could self harm then please contact someone as soon as possible, whether it is your surgery, the emergency services or even The Samaritans as mentioned above to talk about how you are feeling.

[SarahH]

I agree with all the above comments and would like to add that you would probably be supported at home via your local mental health team. There are nit many places for psychiatric hospitals. I was in one 2 and a half years ago and it was a wonderful place.

Speak to your GP tomorrow.

Sarah

[countrygirl]

This has happened recently to a friend and his GP referred him to the mental health crisis team who saw him within 24 hrs. He was then seen every day for a week and now has weekly sessions. His GP asked him if his parents could be told so that they could be with him 24/7 for a few days and he agreed so he was not left alone.

It does sound as if you need to see GP and get referral to the crisis team.

[swajj]

You need to see a GP and ask to be referred to a psychiatrist. Suicidal thoughts are not normal I don't care what anyone says. Noone - not one single individual here can give you advice about dealing with suicidal thoughts except to say talk to a mental health professional. It would be irresponsible for anyone here to even try. Go and see you GP today. You won't be admitted.

[MyNameIsTerry]

In some areas you can actually call a Crisis Team direct, so if that option is open its worth it because thats who your GP is likely going to contact unless he/she is considering a section.

Try to define whether they are intrusive or conscious thought though. This will help them to understand what is driving them e.g. intrusive thoughts are OCD spectrum but can be experienced by anyone with anxiety and whilst scary are not a reflection of character (often the opposite e.g. a parent experiencing POCD about their newborn).

As an example, someone on the OCD board was having intrusive suicidal thoughts and saw her GP. He/she was fine with it and upped her meds and monitored. Why? Because she knew they were intrusive and she was afraid of them due to the distress they cause. In an OCD context, its very rare for someone to act out an intrusive thought. But if you are talking a depression context, then a GP may be more concerned about your mood state as they thoughts are more consciously driven.

[ricardo]

I think the best thing to do initially is to get an emergency appointment with your GP today and insist and don't worry if you have to tell the receptionist how you feel.

No one is going to sanction you but initially you need help possibly to calm you down as you haven't indicated why you are having these thoughts.

We can only urge you to seek advise and help ASAP.This can't be done on a forum.

Best of luck and don't be scared.

[swajj]

You are venturing into very dangerous territory here Terry. I realise that you are trying to help but asking Gordie to try and ascertain the nature of his suicidal thoughts is not the type of advice you should be giving him. That of course is just my opinion but I feel I need to say it. Our aim should be to get him to see a professional not to try to analyse him or encouage him to analyse himself. Sorry Terry but you are not trained to be dealing with such serious issues.

[MyNameIsTerry]

If you look a bit further up, you will see I did say see your GP.

I've just also said you could call the Crisis Team who GP's call to see people like this. They will visit you in your home and come back, unlike a GP. A psychiatrist would be nice but we have Crisis Teams of nurses because we don't have enough of them and they are more for serious cases and inpatients but if you can get to one, great.

Suicidal thoughts are discussed across various boards on NMP. I have them myself and have had them frequently over the years. In each case people give the options for GP contact, other people they cna contact, and sometimes discussion with an OP reveals that its not quite what was written. There is one on the GAD board about "Sick Of Life" for instance. Some discussion between people revealed a different story. There are similiar ones on the Depression board.

But like I said, you are missing what I've said twice. Not sure why.

[swajj]

I didn't miss what you said at all. If it stopped there then I wouldn't even be mentioning your posts at all. The problem for me is that you are suggesting that the OP engage in some sort of introspection withour really knowing anything about the nature of his mental health state at all. In doing so you may be making things worse rather than better. Once again I'm sorry if I have offended you with my comments, however, I am not sorry that I made them. In regards to suicidal thoughts being discussed elsewhere I have not ready any of those threads. To me this op's thread was more a cry for help rather than a general discussion about suicidal thoughts. Perhaps I am wrong but when it comes to people expressing thoughts of suicide we need to be extremely careful what we say.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, very true swajj. You haven't offended me.

For me, I interpret this another way based on the lack of detail but its always going to be impossible to say and they need to be talking to someone able to investigate the detail very carefully with them.