to think these forms of self harm aren’t taken seriously

[busyweeks78]

I suffer with a mental health condition which means I often take overdoses. I’m always discharged home with little follow up. Aibu considering how dangerous this can be that they don’t put much support in place. This seems to vary from place to place though as I have a friend in another area who was sectioned for an overdose. Aibu to think that if people pose a significant risk that they should be sectioned? I’ve seen friends basically desperate to be admitted due to how unsafe they are.

If it's a regular thing i assume you aren't viewed as priority and the overdoses are seen as attention seeking behaviour. Unfortunately mental health resources are stretched so thin they are often barely fit for purpose.

It's pretty hard to get sectioned. Numerous small overdoses would be seen as what you refer to them as, self harm, not a serious attempt at you taking your own life which is what is needed besides being a danger to others to get sectioned.

Too little money, too few staff, not enough resources. Unfortunately, there are many desperate people in need of help and decisions have to be taken on what level of support can be given to each. And yes, again unfortunately, people who regularly take “minor” overdoses do tend to come to be seen as time wasters and are evaluated as unlikely to cause themselves serious harm so released with little support.

Sectioning is for people who pose immeadiate/significant harm to themseleves or others.

I would assumed they feel you arent. For what reason, I dont know.

Are you offered any support or ongoing care?

If you’re regularly taking overdoses, they’ll see It as a attention seeking thing rather than a actual bid to take your life unfortunately. They are stretched enough, with very little beds they can only take those who pose immediate danger to themselves or others. Have you spoken to any MH Charities? I tried to take my own life a while ago and I found Mind very helpful.

I agree with others that you may be viewed as lower risk of immediate harm if you are taking regular overdoses and may be viewed as attention seeking rather than serious. Sorry OP I hope you find the support you need. Have you tried my charities, or the samaritans?

You should have a psychosocial assessment each time.

Quite rightly, depriving someone of their liberty is not done lightly.

I was involved with a MH charity and came in to contact with people who took regular small overdoses. They invariably took themselves to A&E or were found. The one guy who was not found and who died took enough to kill himself easily and was out of sight for a few days.

Being sectioned is not done lightly, I have a relative who works in a secure MH unit. He is not allowed to talk about exactly what happens in there but I know he has been attacked. I am not saying everyone who has serious MH issues is violent. Few beds beds mean only an immediate danger to yourself or others gets you sectioned.

Have you ever visited a secure MH setting OP? I visited my sister when I was a teenager and what I saw and how it felt has never left me.

I don’t do it for attention it’s often when I feel overwhelmed by situations in my life.

Mental health services are at breaking point. Far more people needing help & support and far too few resources to help them. I'm related to someone who has been sectioned 3 times over the last 10 years, the moment they're discharged they're on their own again with only the help of an already stressed family to support them.

The crisis team didn't intervene the last time they begged for help because they were responsible for a baby and honestly didn't know what they'd do next. Fortunately one of the family stepped in and took the baby into temporary care...unfortunately this gave the person space to make another serious attempt at taking their life.

I'm not saying that self harm (in all it's forms) isn't worthy of support but when the mental health teams are struggling to keep things going they are going to focus on those who are in most immediate need of help. Basic medical triage, help those in immediate need of critical care, everyone else can wait. It's not going to improve sadly with the Tories in charge so try and seek support in the community instead, check out Mind or related charities and see what services they have to help you.

Do you have Borderline/emotionally unstable personality disorder? Unfortunately it seems common for people with that disorder to be thought of as attention seekers.

We need more funding for MH services.

Give mind a go OP. Sounds like you could benefit with a talking therapy, when things get stressful and overwhelming it helps to talk it out with someone who isn’t directly in that situation that or self refer yourself to councelising with your local GP.

I'm sorry to hear that you're suffering.

It's very hard to get sectioned. Even when I had such acute psychosis that I felt everyone (including the mental health team & the government) wanted me dead & that mi6 were spying on me - I was not sectioned.
It was a miracle that I recovered.

My Nan got sectioned with psychosis caused by dementia but then she was literally a threat to herself & others at that point. It was so sad.

I would say that if you are overwhelmed by life then ask for help from the crisis team BEFORE get to the point of taking an overdose.
Seriously I've heard of people going actually BLIND through taking overdoses.

Also a paramedic friend used to get called regularly to a girl who took overdoses. He always got there on time and helped her and she relied on that.
Until one day he didn't get there 'on time' and she died. He has to live with that.

Mental health services are massively underfunded. It is very hard to get help even in the most severe cases.

This isn't new but has been an ongoing issue for decades, we've been dealing with it directly since the mid 90s when my brother in law was first diagnosed with schizophrenia, but it was a problem even further back.

That you haven't been prioritised is because there are many, many others in far more severe need than you who aren't getting help. Many of them only receive attention via the criminal justice system when things have got completely out of hand.

People can be sectioned if they are at severe risk to themselves or others but taking a small overdose is really not considered severe in the grand scheme of things. The standards are much tighter than that.

Sectioning and hospitalisation can actually be detrimental to people who engage in the self harming behaviours you’ve mentioned. It often reinforces those maladaptive coping strategies.
There are certain MH disorders where capacity is not effected and a big part of the treatment is having people take responsibility for their actions and learning better ways to cope. However, there should be community treatment/Support to help with this.

Busy weeks - I've self harmed like you on and off for nearly 30 years, starting when I was 13. I understand the place you're coming from, and it's not attention seeking. For me it was wanting the pain to go away, and feeling if I didn't wake up I wouldn't be a loss.

Have you spoken to anyone about what you do? Your GP or mental health professional?

Space is needed for those that pose an immediate danger to themselves/others.
Look for what local support is available. There was things I didn't know about until it was mentioned, as it was assumed I had already been told.

It sounds like you actively want to be sectioned.

Echoing a poster above when I was manic last year, believed people were plotting to kill me and the only way to stop poisoning my daughter was to walk into the sea I never got a hospital bed because there were none left in my area.

I do think you should be having some kind of therapy where you learn new coping skills and emotion management techniques would be helpful.

I don’t want to be sectioned. I’m saying friends I’ve had I’ve been very worried about and think they should be sectioned. I want community support which unfortunately I’m not entitled to.

I'm assuming you have the "BPD" label? If so services will probably actively avoid offering you support (they will be concerned you will get institutionalised, which you may).
I was lucky to get DBT - Has this been offered? If not push for it ALOT.
Eventually you can do what I did with my institutionalised-ness and work for MH services yourself. I've been a therapist for 8 years now and it's epic.

DBT dude. It's where its at.

What support do you think would help? Have you been offered or tried DBT or similar?

I really, REALLY hate this dismissive ‘attention seeking’ label, applied to people in extreme psychological distress. People resorting to suicide attempts as a ‘cry for help’ shouldn’t be dismissed. It’s an absolute travesty that services have been cut so far to the bone that the funding just isn’t there in most places to support people properly. Our country is failing people.

@TwinsTrollsAndHunz perhaps consider that for people with some diagnoses 'less really is more'. A dependence on others for self regulation often encourages an inability to cope, or to manage emotions.

Therapy can help, but only if the person wants it to. The time has to be right.

I don’t want to be sectioned. I’m saying friends I’ve had I’ve been very worried about and think they should be sectioned. I want community support which unfortunately I’m not entitled to.

But you dont know their individual circumstances. Just because one person overdosed and was sectioned, that doeant mean it's right for everyone who takes an over dose.

How many times would you have been sectioned now, if that was the case?