...to think the Samaritans isn't always the best intervention for those in crisis?

[AwkwardPigeon]

I'm just getting sick of the half-hearted attempts to help people suffering with their mental health on social media, all of these prescriptive tweets and FB posts with the addendum of the Samaritans phone number.

As a society we really need to be doing more than just directing all suicidal people to the Samaritans, I'm not doubting it's a useful lifeline to some in a time of need but it definitely has its limitations. I question its effectiveness in comparison to other interventions like face-to-face regular counselling sessions which unfortunately there are very long waiting lists for under the NHS and sadly many people if they were suicidal would (and probably do) take their own lives before getting a referral.

The Samaritans service have helped me in the past to a degree when, although not suicidal, I was struggling considerably with my feelings around specific events however I did get the impression they were scared to give any actual advice. Another time I rang them the most fed up-sounding man ever answered the phone and I just hung up because I sensed I wouldn't be able to open up to him. I think it's a lottery like many other services in that whom you get through to depends on the quality of help you receive and the level of optimism you feel once the call ends.

Also, call me cynical but I just think it's so easy for individuals to push the burden onto the Samaritans when we shouldn't really be relying on a charity largely funded by donations from the public to fix everyone's mental health problems and prevent suicides. There are so many other agencies that need to play a part too and us as individuals in helping those we know rather than signposting them to a charity to speak to a stranger. Am I being too harsh?!

I've rang a few times and they were utterly useless. They're a listening service. So you might as well just talk out loud to yourself for all the use I've found them to be. They are probably useful in signposting you to other services and the numbers for them, but in and of itself I find it a useless service.

I don’t think the Samaritan’s are able to give advice. As far as I’m aware they are purely a listening service in times of crisis.

What I find most useful personally is having friends scattered around the world. I've one on East Coast Canada, one on West Coast Canada, 2 in NZ. So, they're usually someone to rant to day or night via Whatsapp or Messenger. I also have a few friends in the GMT zone who keep as odd of hours as I myself do. A responsive person is 10 times more useful than a 'listening service'.

I have emailed them before and found them of no use to me. As pp have said they are a listening service and I didn't want someone just to listen and nod and smile

In times of crisis, people should be signposted to 111 or 999 in extreme cases.

Samaritans is a charity not a "service" paid for out of the public purse. Like RNLI.

The Samaritans are a listening service. They are not there to give advice or counselling. They are also staffed by volunteers who are not paid for their time and there there for those in times of crisis who have nowhere else to turn. I’d save your criticism for the poor provision of mental health services if I were you, it’s a disgrace we have to rely on a charity like the Samaritans in the 21st century.

bellinsurge the point is that they are the 'service'/'charity' always signposted. They are useless.

I've been in severe distress and rang up. They answer with how can I help. So you let it all out and there's silence at the end of the line. So you say 'Hello - are you still there?' 'Yes, I'm listening'. Then I get frustrated and say 'Well what can I do?' or 'Well what advice have you?' or on a very bad day I'll say 'Well what are you going to do about it to help me?'.

The response? 'We're a listening service'.

So I hang up more annoyed than I was before I called them!

You'd get more response ranting to Alexa.

I rang once. No help, rather the opposite. Won’t be ringing again

Mehooha - they are signposted because of poor funding of mental health services.Again, I make the RNLI analogy.

I honestly think that the people who recommend them have never ever had to call them.

The appropriate referral should be as I said - 111 or if you're actively about to do something 999. The police incidentally are brilliant at supporting. I often feel guilty feeling suicidal, but the police will sit and talk crap to you until an ambulance arrives. I've had one police officer give me recommendations for my dd's hair products to buy. Another fella was chatting with me about my song choices and children's names and such and we were talking about songs with names in and they actually knew of a band in the 80's which had a song with my name in it haha. By the time the ambulance crew arrived, the crisis had usually passed, and I was ok to be left alone for the night.

@MrsApplepants

Maybe I didn't articulate it well enough but I do agree with you we shouldn't have to rely on them as the 'go-to' service for those in psychological distress, there should be more options that are equally as accessible to the masses, that was my point and I did criticise the lack of mental health services we have access to under the NHS.

I now recognise they're a listening service and think this is wherein the issue lies, when a lot of people are at their worst they want an honest opinion on their situation and/or some tangible advice and not just silence at the end of the line. I know it isn't the volunteers' fault as they're trained to just listen but I still see it as a limitation.

Many people find them enormously helpful - safe, non-judgemental. They don't give advice because they hear a tiny snapshot of what is going on. They don't give advice as people will often have thought of the obvious responses - leave the bastard, stop taking the drugs - ansd won't be helped by a trite response. People may feel too ashamed to come back with the same problem if they don't follow the given advice.

I am sorry that you didn't find it helpful but I am worried your negativity will be putting off other people in crisis who would benefit.

There absolutely should be a third service - a bit like ambulance or police - purely for MH. So people who actually come out to you in a crisis and assess whether you need referral for help etc.

Samaritans is a listening service, and that’s what their volunteers are trained to do. They aren’t allowed, or in a position, to give advice, and they don’t pretend otherwise. For some people it’s helpful to have a non-judgemental voice on the other end of a phone, sometimes at 3 or 4 in the morning when there’s absolutely nobody else out there. Sometimes that can feel like a bit of a lifeline to a person feeling desperate and hopeless, struggling with feelings they can’t discuss with anyone else. It’s not failsafe and won’t feel like the right thing for everyone, but it is free, 24/7 and more immediately accessible than counselling. I think it has its place and has helped a lot of people.

It would need to be appropriately funded. There's an OOH MH crisis number, but they work 9-5 and are just on the phone. In severe crisis they'll tell you to ring 999 anyway.

I don't know if a real live MH service exists anywhere in the world. But we could be the first to introduce it!

I went once.

They made me feel worse

I honestly think that the people who recommend them have never ever had to call them.

This.

I was being stalked by an ex boyfriend and rang the Samaritans in tears to talk about it as I was genuinely feeling like it was hopeless and he would eventually hurt me.

The middle aged bloke on the other end of the phone said i should try and understand his feelings and that it must be really hard for him, maybe I should think about chatting to him and letting him in.

Weirdly I never phoned them again after that.

I think they're a good idea. Probably depends on who you get. The time I called them I got a bloke who told me I was "a clever girl".

similarminimer

Are you speaking from personal experience?

How is it helpful to anyone to metaphorically smile and nod as another poster put it when you're in crisis?

Seeing above they aren’t allowed to give advice - I must have had a rogue one! I had called before and it was mostly very nice, gentle women who listened and helped me calm down in times of need

Samaritans are there for people who need someone to talk anonymously and in confidence. They will listen.

Valuable though this is, it is limited. It also frustrates me to see the number given out in response to every crisis while mental health services are unable to cope and the causes of so much human misery go unchecked.