To My Crisis Team: Please Take My Crisis Seriously

When I ring you, I’m not ringing for the fun of it. I don’t ring you because I have nothing better to do with my time. I’m not ringing because I’m lazy and haven’t already had a bath, made myself a cup of tea, gone for a walk and used every single distraction and self-care strategy possible.

When I ring you, I am in crisis.

Please do not tell me to try harder, when “try hard” is all I ever seem to do. I have gone through my crisis plan twice, used my distractions twice, phoned a friend and nothing is working.

I am in crisis and I need your help.

I don’t need you to turn my crisis into a joke or try to make light of the situation while I am sobbing on the phone to you. Please do not tell me I’m an attention seeker, when attention is the last thing I want. Telling me, “use your distractions, you don’t want to be like this forever” is not going to help when I have told you I have used my distractions twice already. No, I don’t want to be like this forever, which is why I’m ringing you. Please don’t refuse to come out and see me because there is a system and “already a plan in place.” 

When I ring you, I need your help and I need it now. Please don’t sit there and think, “she rang us, she obviously doesn’t want to die.” I am desperate. I need you.

If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources page.

If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text “START” to 741-741.

Thinkstock photo via Jochen Sands.