---- Suicide trigger warning ----
Now, I'm talking detached from the topic, which was raised recently, just in general...
There is some... alienation (up to cowardice) in how people are dealing with traumatized/suicidal persons.
The most of the people are just pathalogically afraid to accidentally take responsibility for the actions of such person. Standard answer "refer to healthcare professional", which we hear everywhere, in the most of cases is just a way to run away from responsibility for your words, to switch this responsibility at that mythical "professional" as external force. Only few really care, will a person really do it or not, and what experience will they have with that "professional".
Did you ever think, what really happen when a person follows you advice to go to "professional" (if they really will follow it at all)? The scenarios can be very diverse.
Talking from my experience and experience of other people, whom I know, the following options are possible:
- "Healthcare professional" just refers them to another "professional", just as you did, because they also want to avoid responsibility, just as you do. Yes, there are many psychologists, psychotherapists etc., who honestly refuse to work with a patients with suicidal thoughts. It's reality.
- Another scenario: "Healthcare professional" forces a person to hospitalization against their will, for the same reason - to get rid of them.
-- In this case, hospital doctors... switch their responsibility on meds, in turn. I.e. in a hospital, a person will likely be medicated with strong meds - often there will be old meds, with a lot of side effects, because they're cheap. Maybe, again, even forcefully. Of course, these meds will probably (not always) really hold them from suicide (or any other active actions), but just through suppression of their neural system, not through solving their problems. Results of such treatment can be very different.
- If "professional" (whether it is an initial therapist, to whom patient referred, or docs in a mental hospital, where they were sent) give meds:
-- In the best case, these meds will give a temporal relief.
-- In the very-very best case, this relief will be enough for a person to come to their senses and take grips on themselves. But not always.
-- In the most common case, meds will do nothing aside of side effects.
-- In the worst case, meds will make things worse.
- Sometimes "professional" directly makes things worse by ignorant advises and boorishness.
- And only sometimes a professional is really helpful...
Finding a good healthcare professional is important, but it's non-trivial task. You may be lucky and do it quickly. But, as said above, it maybe a long road as well. You never know. And a person needs a support, encouragement and soft, friendly guidance during the whole this road.
Of course, I don't claim that anyone is obligated to provide such empathetic guidance to strangers or something. Just pointing out, that this is complicated topic.