![]() He wanted to remove himself from the pain he couldn’t find a way to bear anymore. When Tyler arrived at the medical center, he began begging the police officers to shoot him. And being suicidal, in my son’s case, was a mental health crisis, not an unlawful act or a moral failing. That said, having a mental illness or substance abuse disorder does not equate to committing a crime. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this surprising in many cases, even trained professionals simply don’t know how to de-escalate a situation of this nature, so they often treat individuals with substance use disorder like criminals. When Tyler arrived at the hospital, disheveled and intoxicated, he was first treated as a disposable annoyance for the evening. They said they would, but I don’t believe they did. I felt this could be contributing to his suicidal thoughts and behaviors - and asked that they provide that information to the attending physician or charge nurse in the emergency department. ![]() I also explained that I thought my son was having an uncharacteristic change in his mental status from a combination of his medication’s side effects and alcohol toxicity. I explained my level of experience and listed the psychiatric medications my son had recently taken. When the ambulance arrived, I asked to speak with the responders. She opened the back-passenger car door, saw that Tyler was incoherent and crying, with an open wound on his forehead and made the decision to call emergency services. On the other end of the phone, I could hear her exhale with relief. I contacted my mother, who lived near Tyler, and thankfully, she was able to locate him and his vehicle. Was he really contemplating suicide? Was this really happening? After a Terrifying Incident, We Reached Out for Help His texts and calls were ambiguous, and I was confused by what he was telling me. After consuming lethal levels of alcohol and other drugs, he reached out to me for help, expressing his suicidal thoughts.Įven though I am a physician assistant who occasionally handles mental health and substance abuse cases, I was completely lost when it came to my son being the one who needed help. My son, Tyler, found himself isolated, living in his car and feeling suicidal. 5, 2017, but it was this night that changed everything. My son’s story began well before the fateful night of Dec. You can also get crisis text support via the Crisis Text Line by texting NAMI to 741741. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health, suicide or substance use crisis or emotional distress, reach out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) by dialing or texting 988 or using chat services at to connect to a trained crisis counselor.
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