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Is suicide considered a crime/illegal in the UK

95 replies

Awaytome · 23/10/2018 11:21

Just wondering is suicide a crime here?

OP posts:
AamdC · 23/10/2018 13:04

As i have said a section 136 is the polices holding power undrr rhe mental health act and they have the power to take somone to a place of safety ie Aand E ro be assessed by the crisis team its nothing to do with doing anything illegal

Littlechocola · 23/10/2018 13:06

Surely it’s a good thing that your friend is getting help op?

PlinkPlink · 23/10/2018 13:11

People who are suicidal, generally speaking, are usually suffering from extreme stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD and other mental health issues.

Depression stems from an imbalance of serotonin in your brain for whatever reason. Chemical imbalance basically.

With medication, with counselling, with exercise (a natural serotonin booster), with good diet even, you can alleviate these chemical imbalances.

I'm not saying that's true of every mental health condition. Bipolar, for instance, is a tricky one but as far as I know, stabilising that condition requires finding the right medication, alot of trial and error and being consistent with it.

Therefore, it stands to reason, if there are many ways to help alleviate it, they would do everything they can to stop someone carrying such a task out. It's not exactly like you can change your mind after you've done it. They have a duty to protect the public, even the ones who are harming themselves.

Also, as a side note, the implications after are awful. Someone has to deal with finding a body, someone has to deal with seeing someone jump off a bridge, someone has to deal with the inexplicable loss, blame and guilt after that person is gone. Someone in a suicidal frame of mind cannot see the devastation they leave behind. They're so consumed by their state of mind. They don't understand that alot of the time, people develop their own anxiety, depression and PTSD after witnessing something like that. It spreads.

kierenthecommunity · 23/10/2018 13:19

She can’t be under arrest for ‘all sorts’ she’s either been arrested under s136 or she’s done something illegal.

If you’re so worried why don’t you go down to A&E and see if she’s ok? Presumably the police have been letting her chat to you so I’m guessing she hasn’t commited any offences

kierenthecommunity · 23/10/2018 13:20

Plus they can’t remove her at will, she had to be doing something that means she’s deemed a risk

Bluntness100 · 23/10/2018 13:21

She's not under arrest but if they are concerned she may not be mentally well to an extent where she cannot think rationally and she may be a danger to herself or others then she would be held till a doctor assesses her mental frame. It's for her sake as much as anyone else's.

DaisyDreaming · 23/10/2018 13:22

Please don’t try and find a legal loop hole to let her out of a&e. They won’t be holding her there for fun but to protect her. They only section if really needed and needs assessing first. She’s in the right place to access the help she needs, be that going home with support follow ups or being inpatient

kierenthecommunity · 23/10/2018 13:24

The other instance where the police can get involved is s135 MHA where a medical professional has assessed her as being at so much risk they’re given the power to remove her from her home

These aren’t given out to those being ‘whimsically’ suicidal they must have real and genuine concerns

DaisyDreaming · 23/10/2018 13:25

The police will be there to make sure she doesn’t leave, a&e don’t have enough staff. Recently I was there and a mental health patient was also in, she was being treated with respect and kindness. Although stressful I hope your friend also has nice staff

kierenthecommunity · 23/10/2018 13:28

Despite being suicidal, I would say she has capacity

Well either the doctors or the police disagree with you. And I guess have more experience with this.

RunSweatLaughAndLatte · 23/10/2018 13:54

Being suicidal doesn't get you locked up. There are various degrees of suicidal. There is actively planning and intending to carry Ines plans out, then there is thinking about death and wishing one was dead without any specific plan or intention, then there is just hope that something bad will happen to you. Sometimes it can be a fleeting thought, not necessarily constant

JellieEllie · 23/10/2018 14:07

There have been so many instances reported in the media of people being failed by the mental health services.
In this scenario your friend is very lucky to be receiving the help she is and being taken seriously. You shouldn't be trying to find a loophole to get her out. If she were to go on and commit suicide you would have to live with that.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 23/10/2018 14:15

She's not under arrest. She's been escorted...

You may not think that she would act upon her suicidal thoughts but she seems to have raised some flags with the police and they will assess her to see if she is a viable risk to herself at the moment. For suicidal people; the first step is often preventing harm, and then treating the underlying desire if it's possible.

Don't feel bad for advising your friend to seek help. Also don't interfere and try and get her out. She's likely to be in the best place for her and if she's really no risk to herself; she'll be released home soon.

Awaytome · 23/10/2018 15:07

Just to clarify she was arrested or whatever it is from her home. The hospital has assessed her and said she's free to go so the police have gone and she's on her way home! What a commotion!

OP posts:
Awaytome · 23/10/2018 15:09

Wow, so you're suicidal, dragged from your home by police and then off you go now haha. She has to get her own way home in her pyjamas and flipflops. I don't have a car or I would collect her. She's angry now. At least that's not suicidal.

OP posts:
Awaytome · 23/10/2018 15:12

From what I can gather she told her care coordinator that she was feeling suicidal, they called police (?) and she told police she wanted to kill herself and it was none of their business. So they arrested her.

OP posts:
Awaytome · 23/10/2018 15:13

I'm sorry, but does this just seem inhumane to anyone else? I'd like to think that if I was feeling fragile I'd be dealt with my medical professionals or something?

OP posts:
Villanellesproudmum · 23/10/2018 15:14

The procedure has been explained to you numerous times, if you don’t understand that’s fine but stop asking and maybe concentrate on helping your friend.

Awaytome · 23/10/2018 15:16

I'm sorry but the procedure seems like a very blunt instrument. At least it has made my friend angry which is something I guess. But my God, is it normal?

OP posts:
LikeIcare · 23/10/2018 15:22

No-one has a MH care coordinator these days unless they are or have been very unwell.

And the Police CANNOT use sec 136 of the MHA to remove someone from their home. Sec 136 only applies in a public place.

SnuggyBuggy · 23/10/2018 15:26

This sounds more like a case of the police stepping in to ensure her safety rather than to arrest her for trying to commit a crime

Isittimeforbed · 23/10/2018 15:32

I'm sorry, but does this just seem inhumane to anyone else? I'd like to think that if I was feeling fragile I'd be dealt with my medical professionals or something?

No it doesn't seem inhumane. The care coordinator's concerns were taken seriously and medical professionals did see her. A&E is how you would access a duty psychiatrist.

Littlechocola · 23/10/2018 15:33

I’m not sure that you are understanding it op which is fair enough but probably unhelpful for your friend. Maybe try to give support without adding to her anger around her experience.

OhMyGodTheyKilledKenny · 23/10/2018 15:40

IME (through a friend's recent MH crisis) if the police, MH teams, GPs etc take any action such as getting someone to hospital, then that person is seen as very high risk.

In the case of my friend who was already known to the MH team and had made previous suicide attempts, she phoned the Crisis Team to say that she felt suicidal again and was just told to distract herself, talk to a friend etc.

As your friend was actually taken to hospital and escorted by police then something has happened to warrant this. It won't have been a whimsical moment.

TheGoddessFrigg · 23/10/2018 15:59

It would seem more inhumane if she had said that to her care co-ordinator and nobody had done anything.....