Supporting suicidal just-adult

[DelurkingAJ]

I’ve just received a call from a policewoman because a young lady who I know is having a mental health assessment because she has just tried to take an overdose.

She is a very young adult so quite rightly the policewoman has told me that she’s safe (unspoken ‘for now’) and that I will need to wait for her to contact me.

She has no family with whom she is in contact (think 6th form studies living in a YMCA) and my DH met her professionally. I have kept in touch (maybe a phone call every month or so, sent a birthday card etc) since she moved 4 hours away for university. She has always been open about her MH struggles.

So, what do I do? In principle I could go and get her but we have two young DSs and both work FT, which complicates things (but doesn’t make it impossible). How long will the assessment take? Apparently her phone was dying but they would try to find a charger for her.

All suggestions would be very helpful. She’s a lovely young woman who has had a terrible hand dealt to her so far in her life.

It's a difficult one isn't it. If you think you could cope then it would be a lovely thing for you to do. But if you think it would place so much strain on your family that it would have a huge negative impact then being there for her at the end of the phone would still be kind of you.

Thank you. It was helpful to read that I wasn’t being awful. She’s safe but oh dear.

Of course not. I'm glad your friend is safe. Having someone of the other end of the phone just to listen sometimes can be just as important as anything else.

You sound like a good friend. She is lucky to have you.