Do I tell the gp....

[Whattodo222]

I'll avoid specifics in the hope of not causing any triggers
I've been diagnosed with depression for over a year and on ad's continuously for this time. I quite often get suicidal thoughts but they're not something I'd act on and I see them as "background thoughts" if that makes any sense. Around Xmas last year I did have some more serious thoughts, made plans etc.
In the past few weeks the thoughts have stepped up a level and been much more frequent and without any obvious identifiable cause. A few nights ago I went to get a takeaway for the family and on my way back and out of nowhere I found myself sitting at a road end with home 5 mins one direction and the location of my last plan 5 minutes the other way. I'll not go into detail of the thoughts I had but I turned towards my plan. About 1/2 way there I stopped and sat for a minute and to cut a long story short I turned round, went home and no one had any idea what had just happened.
I'm OK today but the dark thoughts are still prominent. I've a gp appointment this week for med review and I'm concerned at their potential response if I tell them. I've done a bit of googling it would seem that if someone has the thoughts, a plan and the means then they could detain them?
I've no immediate intentions to harm myself now but it all happened without warning the other night. should I just leave it and move on or if I tell the gp will I risk getting detained???

Please go to the gp. There are lots of ways they can help. No expert here but please go.

They detain you if you have an immediate plan and refuse help - eg I plan to do x on y with z and you can't stop me (I know this as this is what happened to me ), as opposed to if I did it I would do x but I don't plan to. I obviously don't know what will happen but hospital is a last resort and dentition is a very last resort.

Please seek support - there is help out there for you that is not scary or invasive. Suicidal thoughts do not get you sectioned.

Thanks both of you, that's what I needed to hear

Glad to help. Please go- very best of luck. Write it all down in advance if it helps.

Lots of luck with your GP!

Whattdo I think you are describing suicide ideation, in the sense that when we are very depressed we just want an end to the pain, rather than wanting to die. I too have done similar things to what you describe and in a strange sort of way it offers a crumb of comfort to think that there could be a way out of the torment of mental illness.

Tell your GP by all means but you won't get sectioned I'm sure. Suicidal thoughts are a very common symptom of depression and I think people on the MH threads sometimes over react. They are always urging people to call the Crisis team or go to A & E when in fact there isn't usually any need and all that will happen is that you'll wait for hours and be sent home with a couple of diazepam. I'm not saying that people threatening suicide are never sectioned but I think this is far more likely with the more complex mental illnesses that involve psychosis of some kind.