it has hit me quite hard, as i know first-hand how high the threshold for treating suicidal people is. she should have been taken to a place of safety if she was suicidal the day before and the ambulance and police attended.
a few years ago, i was found in my car by the police after an attempt to take my own life. the ambulance was with them, i went to off resus and was treated. as i am posting, it’s clear i survived.
the psychiatrist saw me the next morning and told me i was being discharged. i told him if i was, i would simply do it again. i was in the darkest place i have ever been. i was admitted to the psych ward for a week, and discharged from there with a Care Plan in place and access to the Crisis Team.
unless you have tried to seek help for suicidal depression, you cannot appreciate just how hard it is to get anywhere.
i know that even if my current situation worsens, i will not be taken on and treated by my local mental health team as the trust has been in special measures for three years and there are no staff, no plans to change this, and nowhere to turn in a crisis. my discharge from services in January has been reviewed by the trust, and it has been made clear to me that although they are horrified by the way i was dealt with, nothing has changed, nor will it. i can make a formal complaint through PALS, but it will simply go on the pile. they are busy with investigations into four recent suicides of service users who were utterly failed by the system.
so yes, i’m sad that a woman is dead. suicide is often preventable. if only the government would acknowledge that and invest in mental health provision so that vulnerable people can be treated and supported. i can’t see it happening though.