Red Rainbow Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Not sure where to post this: Okay so I have called this crisis line in the city I live in a couple times throughout the past couple of years. EVerytime I talk to someone there, they are condescending and rude. You start to talk and they say "how may I help" you. The tone of these workers is crass and rude. I cannot in my heart open up about what I'm going through when the person on the other end just seems burdened while they are filing there nails. Who runs this place? While other lines I've called have been wonderful w/a few lacking. This is the worst one yet. However, this place is being pushed bigger than any other line. I'm pissed at how I've been treated on this line God forbid those who are truly calling who are suicidal and end up on the line with one of these arrogant workers. This is not just a one time thing, it's been a trend. Plus fyi IT IS NOT confidential. They just don't tell you that whatever agencies they are affiliated with get all the info on you. This line is a huge push for this city and someone needs to do something. Just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this..... or is just me? I truly believe something needs to be done about this. The name of the line is BHR.. if anyone has experienced this let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 It's sort of hard to say it's a trend if you've only called "a couple of times throughout the past couple of years." If it was me, I'd ask to speak to a manager the moment the person on the other end of the phone seemed disinterested. Do you have a tdoc? A crisis line is not a substitue for therapy. Opening up about the issues in your life is something that is better to do with a tdoc that can work through things with you in a consistent and ongoing basis. If this crisis line is like most, there is little training and the people may very well be volunteers. However, that is no excuse for being rude. If this place you're talking about is just a way to get patients for the services they provide then I'd say stay away from them. I don't know if crisis lines are bound by HIPAA laws but this may be worth looking into or ask up front when you call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddles2009 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Has happened to me before i've called crisis line and best they do is send an ambulance is your suicidal then you spend night in hospital and then get released because suicidal people dont call out for help... i dont get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooster Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The quality of crisis lines highly varies. Most of them are using volunteers in some capacity, and the training of those volunteers WIDELY varies, as does the quality control. Most of them have a suggested time limit for each call exactly because they don't want people to rely on the crisis line instead of having regular, appropriate mental health care. Some crisis lines also are run by for-profit businesses that have some pretty shady practices. I learned this from a friend who worked for one of them and thought what they did to people in pain was pretty deplorable. The primary function of most crisis lines seems to focus on suicide prevention. This means that sometimes the workers feel the need to focus on just getting the facts over building rapport. This also means they may have some secondary or vicarious trauma going on. None of that means you shouldn't expect or deserve to have a helpful experience. It means the crisis line needs more feedback about how you experience them. With regard to confidentiality... Something that also happens is that if you are receiving services from a community mental health agency, it might be true that the crisis line has an agreement to provide after hours crisis support for the MH agency. This means that in order to give you "continuity of care" the crisis line may pass a note on to your provider at the agency to let them know you called so they can follow up. Crisis lines may also keep information about regular callers so it's available to all the phone workers. If you are looking for someone to talk to, try researching "warm lines"... These are not crisis lines, but as also usually staffed by volunteers. Their guidelines are a little more flexible and there's usually less pressure to "get to the point". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptunesky Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 (edited) I once called a national suicide helpline and was put through to someone in Ireland, Irish people are quite religious so some of the things i was upset about were brushed aside by them, meaning i felt even more evil for what i had done (i'm talking about having a termination of pregnancy). I had also been sexually assaluted ( i mean the R word here) and felt really judged because it happened after a went for drinks with someone i thought was a friend. Now if i ring these helplines i always ask if the person is religious. Sometimes the people who answer these calls are inexperienced, although they are trained before, they are only human and may find it harder then they had expected, if you are unable to be open with them, i would suggest that you ask to talk to someone else, also a lot of these places have email advice, which i have found easier to open up in. Edited January 23, 2014 by neptunesky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairymonkey13 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Don't take it personally there are good and bad people in ANY job. That's life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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