Legal ramifications of opening up about suicidal thoughts

brokedown · 2016-11-03T21:48:28+00:00

This is part of why so many people with suicidal thoughts go untreated. What you ask for is help, what you get is your name on a list.

My understanding is that's one of the lists they look at when they do a firearm related background check.

justtoaskaq · 2016-11-04T18:34:13+00:00

I have limited knowledge on this rule. In the U.S., any medical professional, therapists included, are required by law to report if their client/patient discloses that he plans to harm himself or others. The result for a disclosure of a plan to commit suicide is up to a 72 hour involuntary hold in a psych center.

The law's purpose is to prevent people from harming themselves or others. This used to not be a rule, but before this was a rule, people were disclosing to therapists or doctors that they intended to kill themselves or others, and then those people did go on to kill themselves or others.

To prevent this, they passed a law requiring people to report. Most therapists (don't know about doctors) can tell the difference between "passive suicidation" ("I want to die, I wish I would die") and "active suicidation ("Tomorrow at 4pm, I will shoot myself in the head.") They report the latter, but not the former. It is a law meant to protect people from suicide/murder.

The easy work-around to this, is to disclose to a medical professional in the following manner: "I would never commit suicide. I would never kill myself, no way. But I have been having suicidal thoughts and feelings lately." If you explicitly state that you would never do it, even as you admit to the thoughts and feelings, they should not be reporting you.

BDMR_lurker · 2016-11-03T21:35:49+00:00

You need to change physician?

What country do you live in?

And seriously, what 'authorities' would he be obligated to report to?

DavidByron2 · 2016-11-04T23:12:04+00:00

I don't know about it effecting premiums.

Suicide is usually made a crime to give strangers the legal authority to intervene in a suicide. Stopping someone would otherwise be an assault. But yeah, telling your own doctor might end you up (as happened to me once) with a one way trip to the funny farm by ambulance. Officials can be over cautious about being held liable for having not done anything to intervene after they officially know. They could be sued for a lot of money.

Try a help line or the subreddit if you want to talk.

Title	Legal ramifications of opening up about suicidal thoughts
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	6
Comments	17
Date	November 3, 2016 9:16 PM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/5azhjj/legal_ramifications_of_opening_up_about_suicidal/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/legal-ramifications-of-opening-up-about-suicidal.938284 https://theredarchive.com/post/938284

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