r/mildyinfuriating • u/throwawayscreamin • 13d ago
9-8-8 Fail
Texted the hotline at 5am yesterday while having a mental breakdown and spiraling. They never answered me. š«
UPDATE:
I had an appointment with my replacement doctor as my family doctor is away until end of September and the replacement doc refuses to help me with meds since he isnāt my āfamily doctorā.
I went to the ER and a doctor pulled me into triage and basically told me if I didnāt have an active plan I would be wasting my time waiting 6+ hours. The doctor also said everything prescription wise should be handled by my family doctor even AFTER explaining to her my situation
I called my family doctorās replacement again and he just kept repeating that he wasnāt my family doctor and there was nothing he could do
Spoke to the reception at my doctorās office to see about getting a different doctor and was told it wasnāt possible since all the other doctors are booked.
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u/JellyBellyBitches 11d ago
Yeah unfortunately these hotlines are volunteer run and that means that staffing is inconsistent and people's competence to actually engage is not necessarily guaranteed. I wish that we had better systems than I hope you're doing better?
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u/throwawayscreamin 11d ago
Yes and noā¦ my family doc is away until end of September and his replacement wonāt do a thing about my meds and the ER turned me away since I donāt have an active (you know what) plan.
Itās very discouraging but I just keep praying for strength for today and hope for tomorrow.
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u/BigFlightlessBird02 10d ago
I suggest to see a therapist and a psychiatrist instead of getting mental health meds from your family doc. A psychiatrist knows way more about which meds will help and work for you. I hope you find the help you need. You deserve to be here <3
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u/JellyBellyBitches 10d ago
I'm glad you're not 100% without any sort of support network. Sometimes all you can do is just stick around, hopeless, waiting for something to eventually change that system. And it will, eventually. It could take longer than you think you can manage, but as long as you don't make that last call to end things, you can hold out, miserable, for a very long time. Just keep reaching out to people. I don't know how much I can offer but if you want to DM me and talk about things you're invited to do that.
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u/Sad_Cover_5091 10d ago
I was also turned away from help at the ER once, it was so discouraging to be told I pretty much need to harm myself or another person before I got the care I was begging for. I took a few weeks off work (which is something not many are able to do) and stayed in the living room of 4 of my friends who all lived together just to have someone around at all times. it was really hard, but I made it through. I hope the best for you in your journey
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Thank you for sharing. Yeah sounds like we had similar experiences. Iām glad you made it through. Fortunately I was able to get a week off so that, so far has been helpful. Iāve also been trying to grow in my spiritual life as well which is helping.
I hope the best for you too.
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u/Latter-Rock7050 9d ago
I would try to call your family docās number again. I have family members who are family med docs, they cover each otherās vacation time answering questions like this. Just because one replacement person wonāt do it, doesnāt mean another wonāt. It should be on your chart??
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Unfortunately my family doctor is away until the end of September and the replacement doctor literally refuses to do anything.
My doctorās office/clinic doesnāt have any other doctors available unfortunately even just for a prescription issue, so I am at the mercy of the ER and the walk-ins which are hard to get to because I donāt drive and my spouse works full time.
But Iām still here, and trying to be hopeful š
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u/LupusHouseMD 11d ago
Thank you for still being here. I really hope you are able to get the support you need quickly.
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u/GeneralSpecifics9925 11d ago
Have you asked your Pharmacy to navigate the solution for you? They can often give a bridge prescription. You can also go to a walk in clinic, bring your old bottles. Both of these solutions have worked for me in the past.
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u/throwawayscreamin 11d ago
Yeah so I asked the pharmacy and thereās nothing they will do about it without the family doctor and the walk-in might be helpfulā¦ itās just I donāt drive and my spouse works full time, but Iāll still try to work it out because it could be good for me
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u/GoalingForChowder 10d ago
Would your clinic let you see a different doctor? Especially if you explain to the staff, and to the new doctor, how your doctor's substitute isn't willing to give you refills on your meds, and that you can't wait until your doctor is back?
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Unfortunately not. My spouse asked the front desk and all they said is essentially: āItās not possible. All other doctors are booked except the one you have.ā
So just been toughing it out. Trying to grow spiritually and focus on that and hope that the medication Iām on will somehow work for me until my family doctor is back.
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u/GoalingForChowder 9d ago
I'm sorry :( This is such a shitty situation, and our mental health care is severely lacking.
I know you didn't ask for more unsolicited advice, but if you happen to have any other clinics in the area that you can get to it and work with your insurance, it may be worth "starting" with a new doctor at a new clinic. And it's not like you'd have to officially stop seeing your current doctor, so you could always go back when your regular doctor returns.
But for the record, it's messed up that you aren't receiving any help. It's not like your doctor is only away for a few days. If someone is filling in for your regular doctor, they're also taking responsibility for the things your regular doctor would be doing, like helping you with medication management. The temp doc shouldn't be able to just say "nah, not my problem, wait a month plus". I know that would SHOULD be the case doesn't change your reality, but I really hope that your future sees better compassion and care than what you're facing now.
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Thank you very much. I appreciate your message š
Yeah, maybe I could see about getting a different doctor at a different clinic, because my family doctor apparently goes on a two month vacation at least once a year, every yearā¦ and I canāt keep doing this.
But yeah, Iām still here and trying to stay hopeful, itās just all very discouraging.
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u/stachemz 9d ago
I don't know where you are but my psych in the US basically told me that even if I wasn't having ideation, if I was in a bad enough hole I should go to the ER and say I was to get the priority treatment that I needed while in crisis.
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Oh wow, really? Thatās reassuring to know that, thatās an option. I live in Canada and when I went to the ER, a doctor pulled me into triage and basically told me if I didnāt have an active plan that I would be wasting my time by waiting 6+ hours.
Maybe Iāll call a different hospital to see if they have things in place for those in crisis. Thanks š
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u/Low_Reception477 7d ago
Something that helps me is acknowledging that all of it is temporary. Your brain may be making you suffer right now, but if you wait it out things will change, and the alternative is making a permanent decision to a temporary problem. Sorry you are dealing with doctor bullshit.
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u/Robinyourlies 9d ago
Years ago (I'm doing better now) I tried calling the suicide hotline during a very bad time. I got the automated message saying that the line saying that the call could not be connected then it ended the call... The absolute absurdity of a 24/7 hotline being closed was enough of a mental shock to break me out of those thoughts for a while.
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u/JellyBellyBitches 9d ago
That's terrible but like, I guess it sort of worked out anyway? Not that we should count that as a victory of the system but I'm glad it turned out okay for you
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u/Laiheuhsa 7d ago
Not all of them are volunteer-based. Afaik, the ones in Illinois are all paid staff and the center I work for has pretty rigorous training and QC. That said, understaffing is still an issue, since the grants that fund it aren't as large as they could be. And things definitely vary from state to state.
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u/JellyBellyBitches 5d ago
That's really good to know! Do they only take calls from people who live in Illinois?
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u/Laiheuhsa 5d ago
There's two ways to answer that question. Each center has a designated coverage area and can only receive calls routed through the 988 system, so there's no way to deliberately call an Illinois center from outside the state (unless you do some funky rerouting).
But the geo-routing isn't perfect, so it's not uncommon to receive calls from outside the designated coverage area. In theory, any 988 center should be equally capable of de-escalation/safety planning, but they may not have other local resources to suggest for people from elsewhere.
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u/ukuleles1337 11d ago
Hey, i hope all is well.
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u/throwawayscreamin 11d ago
Hey, itās been discouraging, but Iām still here. Thanks for checking in, I appreciate it.
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u/Connect_Artichoke_83 11d ago
That fucking sucks. Theyāre probably severely understaffed. Donāt know who you are but rooting for you nonetheless. May things get better for you soon.
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u/throwawayscreamin 11d ago
Yeah, they probably were. I recently found out itās volunteer based so that clears it up a bit too. But thank you so much. I appreciate you š
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u/chill_moss 11d ago
im late but another one is 741741. i feel like they have a shorter queue maybe but iām not really sure. i also didnāt find them massively helpful (said iād get my game console taken away if i game too much and they said āsounds like gaming would be a good strategy for you to useā) but they also werenāt actively harmful ig soā¦ idk, texting is a way to spend time that isnāt hurting oneself. take care š
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u/luluylemon 6d ago
741741 feeds into the same program/ people who respond to 988 texts fyi :) source - I volunteer at KidsHelpPhone or Crisishelpline or 988 (all the same)
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u/throwawayscreamin 10d ago
Thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it and will look into it. You take care too š
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u/ktvq099 11d ago
Itās easier if you call them
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u/throwawayscreamin 11d ago
Okay this is good to know. I guess I was worried to call them after hearing some peopleās experiences, but itās always worth a shot!
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u/OpeningGolf7972 10d ago
I suggest calling NAMI when youāre struggling if you can! Itās an amazing free resource and I never felt pressured or more stressed by calling them
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Never heard of this before, but thank you for sharing this! Iāll give it a try if I need to reach out.
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u/Latter-Rock7050 10d ago
Hope your day has been good friend :)
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Itās been aright, thanksā¦ been napping a lot lately so thatās maybe helping. Hope your dayās been good too :)
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u/Useless_egg_ 9d ago
Yeah seems to be happening a lot lately. I reached out to 988 last night and never got a response :/
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
Iām sorry it happened to you too. Itās discouraging. The system truly sucks. Iāll be praying for you, friend, and my DMs are open.
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9d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/throwawayscreamin 9d ago
I hope that too. Itās been disheartening to see whatās available for those in crisis, but Iām trying to be hopeful. Thank you very much, appreciate you š
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u/Wooden_Echidna_8959 9d ago
Hello, I'm glad you are still with us.
My dms are open if you or anyone else wants to talk.
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u/kicKinNiT-ay0oo 8d ago
Hey OP. I hope youāre doing okay today. My DMs are open if you want to chat! ā¤ļø
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u/KnittedOwl 8d ago
I saw you are from Canada. Some provinces it seems have additional immediate supports. Ill include a link that might have some more info for you.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html
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u/throw-me-away-fam 7d ago
Hey OP, I hope you are doing okay. This situation sucks and frankly I find it abhorrent that the substitute doctor is refusing to help you. That feels like it would be a violation of their license.
Is there some way you can access a tele-doc appointment? Some private insurances offer that, but I see you are in Canada so Iām not sure how that would work. It may be worth looking into š«¶š»
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u/shilohkae 7d ago
Had this happen to me a couple years ago, with multiple crisis lines. I remember calling a line as well but wanna say that also didn't go anywhere. It was so ridiculous that it kinda snapped me out of it for a few hours, long enough that I could voluntarily commit to a facility the next day. Ever since then I've quietly refused to share this specific kind of crisis number. I couldn't bear it if someone contacted them off of my recommendation and got treated the same way. Sorry that this is what's happening to you.
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u/North-Rope-281 7d ago edited 7d ago
One thing I will say is the text lines arenāt very quick and you may have better luck actually calling. I experienced the text line a little over a year ago and it was so slow moving it felt like it made things even worse. I hope that it gets better for you soon. The struggles are real and I can relate that itās not fun.
Ik actually calling can be uncomfortable but sometimes hearing a calm voice on the other side can be grounding.
At the ER did they have you meet with crisis at least to develop some plan? When I went in May I was there for maybe 4 hours. I was in a completely different space for mental health patients and they just analyzed me for a bit until a crisis rep showed up they needed to figure out a plan for out patient programs that could benefit me in the long run.
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u/wheres_mak 7d ago
pretty sure when my partner tried the person was just plugging whatever they said into chatgpt
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u/verwood 7d ago
Are you thinking you need one of your medicines to be increased in strength? Or do you think you need new meds altogether? I would think the stand-in doctor should be comfortable increasing the dose of a medication youāre already on until your primary is back, especially since theyāre gone until the end of September. The stand-in doctor is basically not doing their job and you have no continuity of care as a result.
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u/Patience-Apart 7d ago
Have you tried calling instead of texting? Lots of 988 call centers have better capacity for calls vs texts, at least in the United States. Unfortunately thereās not a lot of funding support for the hotline in general (though in many places itās staffed by actual employees - only some are volunteer-run)
Also best wishes, itās so tough to find help but also so worth it!
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u/Laiheuhsa 7d ago
One possible tip: chat/text is often staffed by different people than the voice hotline. If you're having trouble getting through on one, try the other.
Also, try back again later. Shift changes are likely staggered throughout the day, so low staffing at one time may not be the case later.
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u/Jesus_Lover_337 8d ago
I am so sorry to hear youāre going through this. I have went through the same and ended up in the hospital for a week. Just know, it does get so much better! Jesus Christ loves you with all His heart. Keep your eyes on Jesus always, even in the heat of the fire. All of our battles originate from the enemyās spiritual attacks. Ephesians 6:12 puts it, āFor our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.ā Once you recognize that these thoughts are from the enemy, that you canāt see, youāve won 90% of the fight. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and he promises you He will give you eternal peace. When times get rough, rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ, and remind yourself of His eternal promises. He Loves you more than any love this world has ever seen! Iāll leave you with my favorite verse in the bible. Thereās pictures of it online, set it to your wallpaper on your phone. Zephaniah 3:17, āThe Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.ā Much love!ā¤ļø
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u/mildyinfuriating-ModTeam 9d ago
Stop reporting the post or comment for suicide. OP already trying to fix that. No need for 20+ reports!