Reply #18: But others may need the police to be called.

[damnraddem]

Attempted suicide often is the cliched 'call for help.' For others, no way out appears at the moment other than suicide; but if they have a later moment, other ways do appear.

Suicide prevention should not, however, send uniformed police -- it's a prevention issue, not a law-enforcement issue. The police are not as well trained to deal with this -- as exemplified by their saying things like 'nothing is worth killing yourself over.'

And the rump left of the mental health system is disgusting. Unlike Nurse Ratchet, it's more often no help, the wrong help, or the right help but not enough of it. You seem to be someplace where they actually institutionalize -- many places don't anymore. It's not that they've found a better way, it's that they've given up the pretense of having a way to deal with the costs. Nurse Ratchet has been laid off.

So, encourage people to call the local suicide hot line -- not the people who call the police, those who are thinking of suicide. And by all means, give links like you did.

Keep up the fight, and good luck!