Can you be locked up for saying you will kill yourself?

Question

Can my Husband have me locked up in looney bin for saying I want to kill myself? If I have told him this before cna he have me locked up? If I go to a clinic for help voluntary can they keep me until they say or can I check out whenever I want? I am just tired of trying to work things out. The more I do to prove to myself that I am of value the more I feel stupid, but I am accomplishing the work just feel not of any good or worth being here on earth. I just wonder if my husband has the ablility to have me locked up. should I have just kept it to myself? Does anyone else feel worhtless yet still very capable of doing just about anything you set your mind to? I am very intelligent. I was one of three in top of my graduating class back in 1997 and went to school for chemical eng but dropped out & that is when these feelings started. I did go back & get associate degree in business and am working & have 2 cute kids & married 5 years. I just feel useless & want the feelings to go.

I have been to psy for three years now. On 3rd med & on xaxan. I went to shrink & talked but nothing ever felt better. I have control prob atleast as far as letting others help me. I am just tired & ready to give up.

Answer 1

If the doctors or the court has strong enough reason to believe you might kill yourself, yes, you could be sent to the mental hospital for evaulation. That doesn't mean you will stay there forever, you will probably be out in three days unless the doctors think you need to be kept longer.

Why don't you go to a doctor and tell him or her how you feel? Maybe you could be treated for depression on an outpatient basis and there will be no need to go to the hospital.

Answer 2

If you are a serious threat to yourself or others, you can be put on a 72 hold, and then released only when the authorities believe you are no longer a threat. A voluntary commitment, however, is different. In that, you can leave when you are ready providing that you are not a serious threat to yourself or others.

The best thing you can do is to go seek help. Talk to your doctor and ask for a referral to a therapist or counselor. If you can't afford a therapist or counselor, check with your county government. They have programs. Seriously, it sounds like you may have serious depression, and professional help is the best way out. If it is real bad and you are seriously contemplating suicide, go to emergency and explain how you feel. Agree to a voluntary commitment where you can get the help you need. Your life does not have to be what you are experiencing right now. If not for yourself, get help for the sake of your kids!

Answer 3

Hello. You sound very depressed and your husband obviously cares a great deal for you and is very worried about you. Your husband has not got the power to have you locked up. Only your GP or certain other health care professionals have the power to have you "sectioned" under the mental health act if they consider you to be endangering yourself or others.
Can I just begin by saying that you are not worthless.
You list your accomplishments including academic, work and your children. You are in a very stressful situation where you are having to juggle a career with your home life which is putting you under a great deal of pressure
You are just very depressed, which is a condition far more common than you think and I want you to believe me when I tell you that you can be successfully treated and cured of your current depression. You are not mad, you just need some help! Suicide is not an option - you have a husband and children who love you very much and would not want to be without you.
Take courage and seek the voluntary help or talk to your GP about how you are feeling - remember -depression is very common and your GP will know how to help you. You won't regret it I promise you. They are there to help you and have only your best interests at heart.
Good luck and love to you. Be strong. You are a valuable person. xxxx

Answer 4

To be admitted to a psych ward requires a court order and you must be tested and found capable of harming yourself or others. If you volunteer to enter a clinic or hospital you can leave when you want to. It sounds like you need to ask from where these feelings of worthlessness originated. If you are not currently getting professional help you might consider sitting down with someone (a clinical social worker would be best) and just getting some of it out. Take a look at your relationship with your husband; is he supportive or the cause of your feeling bad about yourself? It is surprising how many times one spouse in a marriage can make the other feel so bad about themselves -- it is done for any number of reasons...sometimes with purpose....sometimes unconsciously-- However, if your husband is supportive and caring (for real) then you might just have a chemical imbalance and need some temporary help. A clinician can best help you unravel the concerns and problems you are having and find a good solution that might not require institutionalization or heavy meds. Good luck...

Answer 5

Dazie, find a therapist who is trained and experienced in Cognitive Therapy.

Your feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy may have originated in your childhood.

You can be locked up if you are a danger to yourself and/or others. Being locked up in a psychiatric ward is not bad. It's really quite pleasant. You're surrounded by trained, caring, competent staff. You are served meals, and can relax.

I learned a heck of a lot while in a mental health facility. It's not like jail. I enjoyed it so much that I went back after I got out & worked as a volunteer. Get to the root of your lack of self-worth. It's fixable.

And, quit talking about suicide. It's not an option. You cannot leave those children behind. They would never understand and their lives would be scarred forever. Kids have an uncanny way of taking the problems that their parents have and then blaming themselves.

Your suicide talk is a cry for help. If you voluntarily admit yourself into a mental health facility, you would be giving yourself and your family, the greatest gift in the world . . . . a healthy YOU.

I'm praying for you, girl.

Answer 6

I think it depends on you r state of mind at the time. If you are depressed, you should seek treatment. Involuntary commitment is usually done when the person is deemed to be a threat to themselves or someone else.

If you do decide on treatment, it is voluntary and you can leave when you like, but it sounds like you care enough to go ahead and face the issues that are causing these problems. You can always seek counseling without being committed and it probably would benefit your family if everyone would attend some of the sessions.

I wish you the best of luck, depression is not something to ignore and it does seem that you are very intelligent. Good Luck.

Answer 7

You may be in depression and need some medical help. If you don't go on your own or have your husband help you, then yes, he can have you committed for your own safety and the safety of others around you. You do not want to go that route.

Speak to a pyschologist after getting checked out physically by a doctor to make sure this is not an imbalance of hormone or some physical problem. Perhaps, you are under pressure and do not want the responsibilities. It happens to people all the time. It happened to me when I was a teenager. My mom went in to depression and then pyschosis. She is on medication for the rest of her life, otherwise, she would not be able to communicate. These things just happen, why to you - no one can say, but it is important that you seek professional help.

Answer 8

Listen Daisy, I don't know what state you're in but in Florida, you can be baker acted if you are a threat to yourself. Perhaps other states have laws like this. If you sign in voluntarily, you will be interviewed and if needed, put on meds. Involuntarily, (by your husband), they can usually keep you 3 days and if you're o.k., they have to let you go. If your not, they can go to court to get the judge to keep you longer, at least until the meds they give you work. I would not tell him anything anymore if he's threatened to have you committed. But I would encourage you to see your doctor or talk with someone who could guide you to the right place. Perhaps your area has a community mental health center. Take care.

Answer 9

Yes, he can have you committed. Anytime that you say or act like you are a danger to yourself or others, you can be committed to an institution against your will until you have been deemed to be medically stable enough to return to society. However, if you check yourself into an institution, you can check out on your own without permission, even if it is against the doctor's advice. This would be your best bet. There is nothing wrong with seeing a doctor and getting help. They will give you medication that will make you feel alive again. Do it for yourself.

Answer 10

What do you expect to happen when you are taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment? It is not a forever situation in most cases.
You will be admitted and doctors and therapists will talk with you and probably administer medications to stabilize you.

Your family is most likely concerned for you and wants you to feel better.

Just from the way you are talking, I can see you are very scared and anxious. It may do you some good to call a therapist on your own and talk to them before your family intervenes on your behalf.