do helplines really help?

Neb can see your side,told to just walk I to a hospital but I couldn't do that.The stigma and shame of mental illness I always wish if there was a God he gave me a physical illness which is acceptable.I now hate wasting a doctor's appointment on it and after a long time don't want to use government money paying some idiot with so called qualifications to pretend to care.

Hey @Neb @Former-Member

I'm really sorry to hear that you haven't always had good experiences with seeking help from either the helplines or in person at a hospital. It's true that people do experience stigma in different ways, but I also know that some people have had positive experiences with seeking help at the right time. It's a real individual experience. I'm glad you were able to share these experiences.

Cheerbear

On my threads last night I did state the positive of helplines as I needed contact at times when I'm in crisis

Moderator

I believe help is successful if it works within a certain time ,like any other treatment,and if you get the right help.I also have great reservations towards antidepressants as I realise whilst they are the answer and quick fix for medical professionals,they can't help me in my problems such as family issues , unemployment,or assisting in helping me "cope"

Lil-caterpillar sorry you are going through so much,it sounds a really stressful time and it would be hard to cope with.Try not to be hard on yourself which you could say the same to me but I can understand the stress you are under.

helplines have not helped me i have been told to go away, call another helpline and a bunch of other things that are just code for F-off. other times they just dont help if you are "safe" they just tell you to keep doing what you were already doing which is no help or if you are not "safe" they just call the police on you. it really is a no win situation.

Thanks @CheerBear - yes I understand that helplines have a value as an immediate resource, maybe the issue here is training the staff. It is like any health service - the right people makes all the difference, be it doctors, nurses, psychiatrists or helpline operators. I've had excellent MH professionals and I've had absolute duds. @Neb - I agree with you about the AED, they don't want MH patients in there clogging up the wards and they're really not equipped to deal with them. As someone who has been on both sides of the fence in healthcare I have heard some truly atrocious things said about MH patients by staff, again it comes down to training and experience. Some are definitely better than others. @Former-Member - I'm sorry you're struggling at the moment, that's the cyclical nature of MI that we will often be doing well for long periods of tiime then it drags us back down again. Remember that you are cared about and with the right help and support life can and will improve.

hi @CheerBear

thank you for your input, its appreciated. Most of the time I really done call them or contact them unless ive tried a few things that ive been taught to do, but they just keep telling me to keep doing them. I know that they cant do as much as a face to face counsellor but sometimes I wish they would give me a different strategy to try aside from just pushing it off saying just keep doing what works for you. To me thats helpful. There are soo many people out there that need the helplines more than I do so I try not to ring unless I really need to.
Yes I have had some positive experiences with helplines but most of the time not.
I think they do do a good job of helping others though and keeping them safe and sending other help if need to eb to keep you safe. I never thought of writing that list though cheerbear- would you help me make one for me?