Why "Orwellian"?

“Yes @Serenity1 they can. It was text based. I thought it was confidential. The cousellor asked directly if I had ever thought of suicide. I said something like "Of course, I think most people have at some stage" That is not what I wanted to talk about but she kept coming back to it. I now know it is something that is best avoided, but I did not at that time.

She then asked if I knew how to do it. I replied that I am not stupid, of course I know how to achieve that end if I so wanted. Then tried to move on to talking about feelings again.

She returned to it and asked what methods I knew about. This got me very frustrated and I listed about five methods which were likely to be sucessful. I never said I was going to use any of them. She then terminated the chat. I felt worse than when I reached out.

About an hour later the Police turned up. <SNIP>. I would not open the door, but they then said they would break it down. I was just in shorts and a T Shirt as I had a fire on ... they would not give me privacy to change. It was a horrible experience which left me feeling actually suicidal. To get home I had to tell the shrinks what they wanted to hear. Memories of that night are still traumatic. <SNIP>

Hey @Orwellian (nice choice of username btw, I appreciate George Orwell's works, especially 1984 and Animal Farm). I did write a lengthy reply to you earlier, but halfway through something happened and it wouldn't let me post (not sure why?). Anyhoo here I am now, writing to you.

I could relate a lot to what you had said. I had a similar experience of workplace bullying (but thankfully no PTSD outcome that I am aware of). I worked for a government department and believe it or not my RTW coordinator was in cahoots with my then Manager, so I was forced to resign or be sacked due to mental illness (despite having an employee appraisal just weeks before and being told by people superior to my Manager that my work was exceptional). I figured it would look bad being sacked on a resume, so I resigned. No one stuck up for me and I had nobody in my corner at all. It cost me friends, a marriage, a home and a job. I've been unemployed since 2009 and eventually was put onto a disability pension.

I was also taken from work to a psych ward against my wishes and was forcibly removed from my home by Police and detained under the Mental Health Act at the discretion of helpline staff. It can be soul destroying and makes me very wary of mental health helplines.

Anyway, welcome to the forum as I've not met you before and figured you were fairly new.

Thanks @Queenie I am new here but will not be hanging around.

Was seeking some peer support but I do not seem to be able to get that. Have been trying to share my experiences and get some things out in the open. That seems a healthy thing to do but is not possible. My attempts have resulted in a decline in my my mental wellness, so it is best I retreat back into myself.

Good luck with your journey. I hope it is in a better direction than mine.

Hi all! Just popping through, I am so sorry to hear of the frustrating and upsetting situation you went through when contacting a helpline @Orwellian - as a user of a service you have certain rights and responsibilities including confidentiality and being told what the limits to that confidentiality are. There is more info here: Charter of healthcare rights

Speaking with reputable helplines is indeed confidential @Serenity1 - apart from a specific circumstance I'll talk about below. You can speak openly and honestly about what is going on for you to discuss with them. However, services do have to (by law) make notifications to emergency services in very specific circumstances, which is if you tell them all of the following three things:

• you have a plan to harm yourself or someone else in a significant/serious way
• you have everything you need to carry out that plan, and
• you have an intention to carry it out right now.

This is because if the three things above are happening services have to try to save your life and keep you safe. While it can be scary, to avoid being misunderstood try to make sure you tell services if any of the above is not true (For example- you have a plan but don't have any intention of carrying it out at the moment) If you feel you were misunderstood and you were not at risk, you can still hopefully understand where a helpline is coming from in trying to maintain your safety.

That sounds all fine and dandy @Former-Member but it does not pan out that way in the real world. All good if you make contact when you are completely rational but then you have little need of the service.

If you are distressed it can be a lot more confusing. That is where the “law” works against you. It can end up with being dragged away and traumatised.

It being the “law” means that I am now excluded from all those services. I cannot risk going through that again. It seems that discussing that legal situation is often off limits.

Hi Orwellian, we're very sorry about the experience you have been through with some of the services. Whilst we don't deny your experience at all, a lot of people have been very thankful of their experiences with helplines along the road of their recovery journey.
It is important people know that their conversations with counsellors are confidential in most instances except when there's an imminent risk. For more info on your rights as a caller utilising these services, please refer to the PACFA code of ethics here: https://www.pacfa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/PACFA-Code-of-Ethics-2017.pdf

I can only speak about my experience and the problems I encountered.

YMMV

@Serenity1 It seems that the systems which are in place to serve some of those needing help. I am not sure of the criteria that is used to determine who falls into the group which is assisted.

I was not aware of, until recently, the law which limits the level of confidentiality that is offered. My perception is that confidentiality has to be absolute or it does not exist, but that view is not held by all. I just know that having been harmed by those restrictions means the services are no longer an option. There should be a service available where anything can be discussed, even if that requires a waiver.

There is a rational part of me which is able to observe the damaged self. It can see that I am not able to cope in many situations and that my reactions are becoming progressively worse. Awareness of this can be very frightening as can the nightmares which disturb me at night. In the past, when these symptoms were not as severe, I have been prescribed medications. Various pills have been tried and each of them made me worse. They had an effect but that was to remove feelings and the result was my questioning if there was any point in such an existence and issues around that dilemma. When seeking help it seems the prescription pad is brought out very quickly so I retreat.

Having been forcibly taken into hospital and detained there before I am terrified of being taken there again. There are many reasons for that fear. The people who are responsible for the bullying which resulted in my PTSD are the same people who manage those services. Having worked there I know what goes on and do not want to be subject to that regime. I have also been there as a medical patient and that was also horrendous. I was a patient for over a week and in that time I ate a few pieces of fruit. Each day the so called meal would arrive at my bed and it would sit there smelling foul until they took it away. Then the dietitian would come to talk about the importance of nutrition. I did find that eating the fruit made me feel more hungry, so just went to water alone. When I was transferred to an interstate hospital I was able to eat after the mandated pre-op fast. So if I was sent back to the same place I would also not be able to eat.

While the services cover many people it seems there are also a large group who are excluded.