Freeflex
Well-known member
Have you ever been "arrested" for your own safety or put on an emergency section?
By the Police or whatever? Tell us your story and what happened to you if you like. I'm quite interested to hear your stories.
If not you, then what about a relative or a friend? It's a social anxiety forum, so I wouldn't imagine it's happened to a lot of you, but still. Here in England (& Wales) the Police can detain you under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act if you're mentally disordered in public and a risk to your own or other peoples wellbeing, so that covers things like suicide attempts. They can either take you to hospital or even keep you in a jail cell for a couple hours, which I believe happens very often. Most countries have a similar law I'm sure, like the Baker Act in Florida or 5150 Hold in California, USA, so I'm sure you know what I'm getting at.
Now. I'm also doing this to get it off my chest, but I'm interested in similar experiences too:
Yes, I've been arrested (sorry, "detained") under Section 136 of the MHA on August 20th this month for attempting suicide off a multi-storey down in my city's town. I'd had a serious mental breakdown/crash where I just give up on everyone and everything. There was actually no definite reason, but failing my AS-levels through social anxiety did not exactly help. I felt that was the last straw and sort of 'excuse' I needed to actually kill myself, so I planned where I'd do it. I wanted somewhere easy to access and a place with absolutely no people so it wouldn't attract any attention and I knew that spot. I actually thought I had the guts to do it, but I lost my nerve when I got to the wall on the ledge, so I kept getting on and off and started panicking and beating myself up over it (literally), so I then got sort of 'excited' and drifted in and out of thoughts and walked around trying to build up the strength to do it, I admit I wasn't that smart, as I didn't fudging think the CCTV was live and the security guards monitoring the cameras called the Police on me in the mean time, and when I was walking around in the lower storey (I wasn't really watching where I was going, I didn't give a toss), a security guard came out and asked if I was okay, I thought he was initially just happened to be there, so I said "yeah, I'm fine" and he then said "I'm worried about you, we've just seen you on CCTV hitting your head against the wall and sitting on the ledge" I knew at that point I'd attracted unwanted attention so I just panicked and said "just leave me alone, please" and he basically tried talking to me, but I completely realised what he was doing when I saw two Police Officers, a male one and a female one come up the stairs, so I just sort of ran off back to the top storey.
I ran to the ledge and tried to hurl myself over, but I just fudging couldn't, as much as I wanted to, and the two coppers walked rather calmly towards me and they were about a few feet away from me and then they stopped. I started protesting "I haven't done anything wrong!" "Just leave me alone!" "I have the right to do this!" and all those useless plees, and I admit the Police were actually very nice and trying to be sympathetic, they asked what was wrong, whether I had a boyfriend tiff or a family tiff, and I sort of nearly started to explain then I just said "It's too complicated. It doesn't matter now, anyway. Just go!", so I like looked over the ledge again and they walked slightly closer, and I panicked, and the male officer said "we won't walk any closer" so I was like "yeah, good" and they asked some other 2-3 questions, which have escaped my mind, but I really felt uncomfortable with how close were they, so I tried to edging myself off to another ledge, but not watching where I was going I ended up being cornered towards a stair case, and I was planning to escape to a lower storey and try again, but that's when they caught me off-guard.
The male officer just sort of 'commanded' "get her!" and they both like rugby tackled/wrestled me to the ground, and I started panicking and resisting like hell and yelling them "to get the hell off me", he'd caught one of my wrists and handcuffed it, so I put my other hand under my stomach sorta and started kicking my legs and I tried to get up, but the male officer pressed his knee on my back so I was sort of pinned down and he reported on his radio that he'd "got a 136 and needed another officer" or some crap like that I was still struggling with all my might, and two other cops came up and one pinned my legs down to stop me kicking, and then the female officer finally managed to catch my other arm, which she pushed right up and I sort of screamed in pain, and they had me cuffed in a sort of 'stack' position and I gave up struggling by then and during the commotion they were actually funnily enough trying to be calming telling me everything was okay and that I hadn't commit an Offence, so they got off me after a few seconds and escorted me down the stairs, which had a paramedic running up who was apparently going to sedate me, but they told her I was calm at that point, so thankfully I didn't have to get a damn injection, I felt awkward about being walked sort of down the path where some old woman was staring at me, obviously assuming the typical, and I tried to jolt away from them, but it didn't work, so I was put into the back of a police van, which is one of the smallest, darkest and claustrophobic places I've ever been in amd I couldn't balance in it while they were driving and kept falling against the wall, obviously as my hands were cuffed tightly behind my back, so I started kicking at it and crap.
Funnily enough, though, all those officers were actually the nicest which I'm eternally thankful for. At the police station, they were talking to me while I waited on a bench to get processed in cuffs, which were removed after 10 mins, although they were quick to threaten that if I tried absconding I'd end up back on the floor on cuffs, I was then processed at the front desk where the Detective Sgt took my details down and I guess he was trying to have a laugh with me too, I was searched but then they'd found loads of recent self-inflicted superficial wounds on my legs, so I had to be stripsearched in another part of the police station where they were looking for anything I could harm myself with, as well as other wounds, but they found nothing except a rock which I'd found on the car park, anyway and they confiscated it. They also temporarily confiscated my money and mobile phone and I was put on suicide watch in the cell which is arguably the most boring, yet intimidating experience in my life. I was in there for like 6 hours as they awaited the mental health team, and the woman watching me was rather cold. She treated, and referred to me as, a number ("I'm observing a 136 in here") and only spoke to me if she wanted to know something, but I was fine with that, I started picking at a wound on my arm and she told me to stop otherwise she'd have me restrained again, so I was just like "ugh.." and I went to use the toilet, and I got too anxious, I like wanted the little bit of privacy by going behind that wall, and she got up and told me to get out, so I sat back on the "bed" again (a blue mat on a solid platform) a bit pissed off and actually did try to self-harm again, and she then threatened even more severely that if I did she'd have no qualms about having me put in limb restraints, so I just gave up then. She then announced that I'd be there for 12 hours "most likely" and I was gutted, but luckily it wasn't quite that long, and eventually I was let out my cell to see a psychiatrist, a doctor and a social worker who pretty much gave me the 'choice' between being voluntarily commited to a psych ward or being sectioned, so either way I was going, so i went voluntarily and spent three days on Special Observation in a psych ward, which was annoying and invasive, but not quite as degrading as the police cell, they had to be with me when I used the bathroom, shower, etc. But I got on really well with most the mental health staff.
However, I got another big shock two days later when my new College withdrew their Conditional Offer place for me because of what happened and it was so recent. I don't have a criminal record (has been explained to me by a solicitor, it's in my enchanced CRB but only under additional info) it's purely medical, but they seem to think I'm an academic risk due to my social anxiety and a likely risk to other students. BS!
I'm going to conclude that I was *mostly* treated well by the Police and Psych Ward, and would thank most those officers if I met one down the street. This isn't an anti-Police bash or whatever post, I'm completely respectful of their existance as an organisation. Hopefully I won't end up in any of those places again in the near future. I've been put on Lithium to stabilise my moods, and I've successfully got on a new College course which I start in Mid September, so I'm getting a tad bit better now, but despite my meds I know I could crash again in a few months.
Soo. Thoughts and your own stories?
It'd be cool to hear a familiar experience so I'm not quite as 'alone' in this.
Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry its long. lol.
By the Police or whatever? Tell us your story and what happened to you if you like. I'm quite interested to hear your stories.
If not you, then what about a relative or a friend? It's a social anxiety forum, so I wouldn't imagine it's happened to a lot of you, but still. Here in England (& Wales) the Police can detain you under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act if you're mentally disordered in public and a risk to your own or other peoples wellbeing, so that covers things like suicide attempts. They can either take you to hospital or even keep you in a jail cell for a couple hours, which I believe happens very often. Most countries have a similar law I'm sure, like the Baker Act in Florida or 5150 Hold in California, USA, so I'm sure you know what I'm getting at.Now. I'm also doing this to get it off my chest, but I'm interested in similar experiences too:
Yes, I've been arrested (sorry, "detained") under Section 136 of the MHA on August 20th this month for attempting suicide off a multi-storey down in my city's town. I'd had a serious mental breakdown/crash where I just give up on everyone and everything. There was actually no definite reason, but failing my AS-levels through social anxiety did not exactly help. I felt that was the last straw and sort of 'excuse' I needed to actually kill myself, so I planned where I'd do it. I wanted somewhere easy to access and a place with absolutely no people so it wouldn't attract any attention and I knew that spot. I actually thought I had the guts to do it, but I lost my nerve when I got to the wall on the ledge, so I kept getting on and off and started panicking and beating myself up over it (literally), so I then got sort of 'excited' and drifted in and out of thoughts and walked around trying to build up the strength to do it, I admit I wasn't that smart, as I didn't fudging think the CCTV was live and the security guards monitoring the cameras called the Police on me in the mean time, and when I was walking around in the lower storey (I wasn't really watching where I was going, I didn't give a toss), a security guard came out and asked if I was okay, I thought he was initially just happened to be there, so I said "yeah, I'm fine" and he then said "I'm worried about you, we've just seen you on CCTV hitting your head against the wall and sitting on the ledge" I knew at that point I'd attracted unwanted attention so I just panicked and said "just leave me alone, please" and he basically tried talking to me, but I completely realised what he was doing when I saw two Police Officers, a male one and a female one come up the stairs, so I just sort of ran off back to the top storey.
I ran to the ledge and tried to hurl myself over, but I just fudging couldn't, as much as I wanted to, and the two coppers walked rather calmly towards me and they were about a few feet away from me and then they stopped. I started protesting "I haven't done anything wrong!" "Just leave me alone!" "I have the right to do this!" and all those useless plees, and I admit the Police were actually very nice and trying to be sympathetic, they asked what was wrong, whether I had a boyfriend tiff or a family tiff, and I sort of nearly started to explain then I just said "It's too complicated. It doesn't matter now, anyway. Just go!", so I like looked over the ledge again and they walked slightly closer, and I panicked, and the male officer said "we won't walk any closer" so I was like "yeah, good" and they asked some other 2-3 questions, which have escaped my mind, but I really felt uncomfortable with how close were they, so I tried to edging myself off to another ledge, but not watching where I was going I ended up being cornered towards a stair case, and I was planning to escape to a lower storey and try again, but that's when they caught me off-guard.
The male officer just sort of 'commanded' "get her!" and they both like rugby tackled/wrestled me to the ground, and I started panicking and resisting like hell and yelling them "to get the hell off me", he'd caught one of my wrists and handcuffed it, so I put my other hand under my stomach sorta and started kicking my legs and I tried to get up, but the male officer pressed his knee on my back so I was sort of pinned down and he reported on his radio that he'd "got a 136 and needed another officer" or some crap like that I was still struggling with all my might, and two other cops came up and one pinned my legs down to stop me kicking, and then the female officer finally managed to catch my other arm, which she pushed right up and I sort of screamed in pain, and they had me cuffed in a sort of 'stack' position and I gave up struggling by then and during the commotion they were actually funnily enough trying to be calming telling me everything was okay and that I hadn't commit an Offence, so they got off me after a few seconds and escorted me down the stairs, which had a paramedic running up who was apparently going to sedate me, but they told her I was calm at that point, so thankfully I didn't have to get a damn injection, I felt awkward about being walked sort of down the path where some old woman was staring at me, obviously assuming the typical, and I tried to jolt away from them, but it didn't work, so I was put into the back of a police van, which is one of the smallest, darkest and claustrophobic places I've ever been in amd I couldn't balance in it while they were driving and kept falling against the wall, obviously as my hands were cuffed tightly behind my back, so I started kicking at it and crap.
Funnily enough, though, all those officers were actually the nicest which I'm eternally thankful for. At the police station, they were talking to me while I waited on a bench to get processed in cuffs, which were removed after 10 mins, although they were quick to threaten that if I tried absconding I'd end up back on the floor on cuffs, I was then processed at the front desk where the Detective Sgt took my details down and I guess he was trying to have a laugh with me too, I was searched but then they'd found loads of recent self-inflicted superficial wounds on my legs, so I had to be stripsearched in another part of the police station where they were looking for anything I could harm myself with, as well as other wounds, but they found nothing except a rock which I'd found on the car park, anyway and they confiscated it. They also temporarily confiscated my money and mobile phone and I was put on suicide watch in the cell which is arguably the most boring, yet intimidating experience in my life. I was in there for like 6 hours as they awaited the mental health team, and the woman watching me was rather cold. She treated, and referred to me as, a number ("I'm observing a 136 in here") and only spoke to me if she wanted to know something, but I was fine with that, I started picking at a wound on my arm and she told me to stop otherwise she'd have me restrained again, so I was just like "ugh.." and I went to use the toilet, and I got too anxious, I like wanted the little bit of privacy by going behind that wall, and she got up and told me to get out, so I sat back on the "bed" again (a blue mat on a solid platform) a bit pissed off and actually did try to self-harm again, and she then threatened even more severely that if I did she'd have no qualms about having me put in limb restraints, so I just gave up then. She then announced that I'd be there for 12 hours "most likely" and I was gutted, but luckily it wasn't quite that long, and eventually I was let out my cell to see a psychiatrist, a doctor and a social worker who pretty much gave me the 'choice' between being voluntarily commited to a psych ward or being sectioned, so either way I was going, so i went voluntarily and spent three days on Special Observation in a psych ward, which was annoying and invasive, but not quite as degrading as the police cell, they had to be with me when I used the bathroom, shower, etc. But I got on really well with most the mental health staff.
However, I got another big shock two days later when my new College withdrew their Conditional Offer place for me because of what happened and it was so recent. I don't have a criminal record (has been explained to me by a solicitor, it's in my enchanced CRB but only under additional info) it's purely medical, but they seem to think I'm an academic risk due to my social anxiety and a likely risk to other students. BS!
I'm going to conclude that I was *mostly* treated well by the Police and Psych Ward, and would thank most those officers if I met one down the street. This isn't an anti-Police bash or whatever post, I'm completely respectful of their existance as an organisation. Hopefully I won't end up in any of those places again in the near future. I've been put on Lithium to stabilise my moods, and I've successfully got on a new College course which I start in Mid September, so I'm getting a tad bit better now, but despite my meds I know I could crash again in a few months.
Soo. Thoughts and your own stories?
It'd be cool to hear a familiar experience so I'm not quite as 'alone' in this.Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry its long. lol.
