Tell Or Keep My Mouth Shut?

[Tesseract]

As someone who has seen how damaging involuntary hospitalization can be, my advice is not to tell your therapist. I try to see every decision as a risk:reward ratio. The risk? You might get committed. The reward? You might feel a little better if you talk about it. (I never do, but some people apparently are relieved when they talk about what's troubling them.)

When I look at that ratio, it seems to me that the risk clearly outweighs the possible reward. You should make your own evaluation of whether it's worth it.

Edit: Several people have said that good therapists understand the difference between plans and ideation, but the fact is that many therapists are bad at their jobs. Since you are just starting to get to know this one, you don't know whether he/she can be trusted yet.

 

[LuckyDuck]

It's a very private subject, in my opinion. Say you put the breaks on the subject, and your T asked you why you did that, would you feel comfortable talking about that?

 

[mrsps]

Argh I have been going through this with my T the last 2 sessions. I was hospitalized also (when I was 17) lucky for me it was only 2 nights and I agree with you it didn't help in the slightest it was absolute hell.
We have been talking about suicide I think I had said something about wanting to die so that was how it came up and she wanted to talk about it. I had told her about my previous stay in hospital and it was hell she has said she wouldn't want me to end up there again but if she thinks I am at risk of harming myself she will have to call the local crisis team. I so wish we had never started talking about it. She said she had trusted me that I would be back for the next weeks session, which I did go to.
It is just such a horrible topic to have to talk about.
Best of luck :)

 

[falling_wave]

They are going to be looking for you a plan on how you will do it, your access to whatever you will use to do it, and your intent to do it. If you say you think about it without details and you verbalize you won't actually follow through you should be in the clear.

 

[Mammo]

Thank you very much everyone for your insights and ideas. I really appreciate it. I'll try talking to him about it along the following lines:
a. Making clear the distinction between "thinking" and "doing"
b. That for me, it's largely a comfort thing (yes, I'm strange);
(If he seems to "get" the above) then:
c. That whilst I do know how I would do it, that doesn't mean I'm going to...

 

[joeylittle]

that doesn't mean I'm going to...

And if you can, be more specific here. You don't have a date, you don't have 'your affairs in order', and - if this is true - that you don't have your method in your possession. Frankly, if you do have your method in possession, get rid of it. It's not strange that you find it comforting - I think many people do - but ultimately, it is a dangerous habit, and hopefully you'll be able to change it. I hope that for myself, too.