I will second what Só leigheas said: it may depend on who you are talking to.

I called a hotline thirteen years ago when I was ready to commit suicide but decided I did not want to die. My first call did not go well: the crisis person said I was acting childish and hung up on me. I stared at the phone for a few minutes in disbelief but it strengthened my resolve that I needed help and that it wasn't supposed to go like that. I called again and got a very supportive person who brought in a friend of mine on a three way call and got him to come give me a ride to the hospital, which is what I needed at the time.

They are there to help you so if you don't get the help you need try again. Subsequent calls over the years have helped me so I believe that first experience was very far out of the norm, and also no subsequent calls have led me to the hospital, they have helped me to apply my coping skills I learned in the hospital so that I was able to safely prevent a return to the hospital.

There are "warm lines" you can call if you are not in crisis, I've never tried one but I would think if you are not in trouble of needing hospitalization one of these might be safe to call.