Comments please for suicide research tools

DaveAsperg,

I think you posted a while back with this idea?

If it's doable, it'd be transformational for so many.

Sam likes to draw,

I'm so sorry you had this experience but am glad your partner was there for you.  They sound like an awesome person to have in your life. :-)

I've found samaritans helped me out of many dark times because they don't know me and I can say exactly how I am feeling.  I am always able to articulate how I am feeling and knowing someone is listening within itself helps me.  I don't have a partner to lean on so I use the service in particularly lonesome times.  Luckily I've been in a much better place since changing my diet so haven't phoned much at all.

I think samaritans are useful depending on what your needs are and how well you are able to communicate in that moment. 

We can certainly get access to talk to people but getting a service to do practical actions of help is much more .

Communication matters should be OK

I think it's an excellent idea and I really hope you manage to launch such a service. I would use it if I needed to.

Please ensure that it is accessible using a choice of communication methods. So many existing support services and crisis lines are  telephone only and that means they are effectively inaccessible to me. Like many autistic people I struggle with verbal communication and telephone calls in particular, due to auditory processing difficulties.

As an autistic adult I am capable of living independently most of the time. Until some sort of difficulty or crisis happens that I am not able to deal myself. In those situations there is no help available. As far as social services are concerned if I am capable of dealing with day to day stuff then I also must be capable of dealing with the bigger problems in life. That simply isn't true. The more I think (or talk) about the issues the more they become huge and overwhelming in my mind. What I need is advice and practical help, not to talk endlessly about the issues but get no further forward in actually solving them.

When I have experienced suicidal thoughts in the past they have stemmed from practical problems which have seemed insurmountable, feeling trapped and helpless and a belief that there was no other way out. 

I believe this to be an excellent idea. There is a huge gap in many areas of those on the spectrum.

I am the parent if a 31 year old Asperger's son who experienced a bit of a breakdown in the last couple of days the gist of which were 'who would want to love someone like this who doesn't know how to talk to new people and who has this broken body. It's not worth being here'

My overriding worry I have for my son is that he needs to know how to begin a meaningful relationship but when I try to advise him, he says to stop voicing platitudes, I don't know who can help him.

If there is a professional or group that has knowledge, understanding and actual experience and evidence on how to go forward with this complex issue, this would be a real breakthrough 

This may also open discussion on the number of those who are on the spectrum and have been detained or imprisoned?  Frustration, inability to express themselves coherently, anger, rejection etc etc.

Apologies for the length of my message but hope you accept there is a definite need for development in this area for those on the spectrum including  teenagers (who may be experiencing puberty) and adults.

Regards, Sue

Mind and Samaritans do not help me , I feel humiliated by their superior attitudes and lack of any useful suggestions. This would be run by  Cambridge Uni Autistic research unit. Very academic approach

We dont want to just duplicate existing services, but come up with something new and effective 

The idea would be to involve autistic people in giving advice if they have the relevant experience ie are doctors, lawyers or some expertise.

There would be lots of options for distraction , education and most importantly individul advice

I actually had Samaritans hang up on me because they are only really there to talk people "off the ledge" when they feel suicidal, and I didn't feel suicidal (yet at that point, I called because I'm a BPD survivor and I felt myself slipping back into red flag territory) but basically the call handler gave up on me because I felt so bad my mood hadn't improved in the 45 mins I was on the phone.
So I've given up on using Samaritans tbh because if I feel bad to the degree that my problems can feel diminished after talking to a person who might as well a brick wall then frankly I don't consider my problems big enough to actually need to talk to people anymore after that poopshow of a call. Which is where that service fails people and people like me fall through the gaps.
I only started feeling better that day after my partner came home and I was able to explain not only did I feel like crap but the call handler made it worse, and then my partner who could actually help me gave me a hug and made me feel less alone and comiserated how these services are actually "a bit s**t". Because that's what really helps people's mental health it's not some "hero" who talks a stranger of a ledge just that one time, it is the people who put in the daily support.

You are free to take this info and anonymise it if it helps your research.
Sorry when asked for opinions it takes me a while to really consider and get back to people but I do like to help if I can and your mention of Samaritans reminded me of that event.

hi dave that was a lot hope more people join this discussion idk what to say but I think it's a good idea. especially for me because of how suicidal I've been lately 

DaveAsperg said:

It has taken years to get to this point

Thank you for all the work you have put into this.

It seems like a great idea to me. 

DaveAsperg said:

Do you think this service would be useful and popular?

I can't see any reason why it wouldn't be.

DaveAsperg said:

we are approaching a launch and I wondered about others opinions as to a useful avenue.

This site? MIND? Samaritans?

Or do you mean a launch to the people who will be giving the advice to others, rather than the users of the service?