[puzzclar]

What is it like to call a crisis line? Do they end up in a psych ward? Are they helpful? Is it weird? Does the time influence your call? What are reasons you call? Which crisis line do you use, national or private?

[lonely-and-sad]

I have called just to talk to someone a couple of times. Just check my forum name for the reasons. The psych ward is used when you are a danger to yourself or others.

[Rohag]

My Experiences: I have called crisis lines twice in the past several years when I felt I was moving beyond generic suicidal ideation. (These were the US national VA lines.) Neither call/conversation was long; each time they told me to go to the ER, which I did. I never wound up in a psych ward, but neither instance worked out well for me.

After talking with my pdoc, we've decided the best thing for me to do in those situations are for me to take additional doses of my antianxiety medication.

Those are my limited experiences. I have read many positive stories of people reaching sympathetic and even helpful ears when they call a crisis line.

[Webgoji]

In my experience crisis lines were a total fail. I couldn't even get through on one of them.

The local one wanted me to go to the emergency facility to talk to someone so I headed down. They didn't have a record of me calling so I had to wait. My depression is such that once I drop low enough, stuff just starts to happen without conscious thought. Luckily, the counselor came and got me as I was walking out to the truck because I had something in there that I could harm myself with.

With both incidents though, once the information got to my therapist I was basically on my way to an involuntary 24 hour observation period, but I managed to talk them out of fully committing me both times.

As an alternative to crisis lines, you can also call or chat with RAINN if you have been through abuse or sexual assault. You can chat from anywhere in the world. They listen, or talk me through relaxation exercises. I like them better than the crisis lines in my country.