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LGBTQ Suicide hotline getting shut down

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by exiledgator, Jun 19, 2025 at 8:33 AM.

  1. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    I learned from a couple of the nations top psychologists at the crisis center. Alachua county’s center was rated one of if not the top crisis center in the country at that time.
    You ought to ask them why they trained us so poorly.
     
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  2. exiledgator

    exiledgator Gruntled

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    Exactly what was happening here. Call the hotline, push 3 to talk to someone that specializes in your needs. To continue the (what i thought was obvious) analogy: now the knee patient can't talk to a orthopedic.

    Domestic abuse, etc.; that's fine for government funding, but this group that has a much higher incidence of suicide - they get no help and have to self fund?
     
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  3. AzCatFan

    AzCatFan GC Hall of Fame

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    This is about call center efficacy. Just because everyone answering the phones area capable, doesn't mean there should only be one pool of people answering all calls. Specialization according to skills and background can make a call center more efficient.

    Wouldn't you want your agents who deal best with homosexuals considering suicide to take the majority of calls from homosexuals? Especially when dealing with life or death here. Nor every person who answers a phone call is equal to everyone else answering in the room. Spend the extra money and get people talking to someone with the best chance to help them with their specific problem if you can. Better than leaving it to random chance.
     
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  4. exiledgator

    exiledgator Gruntled

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    I'm curious what "at that time" was. And thats great that they were rated so highly - that still doesn't change the fact that there are specific services that can be provided to a population with high suicide rates. Why take them away?
     
  5. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    the gop wants lgbtq to disappear. This is a part of that.
     
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  6. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    I personally helped several young gay men who struggled with family rejection.
    It was heart breaking.
    That is a separate therapeutic setting than in a crisis setting though.
    This thread is about suicide and that is something I was specifically trained for…and we did not have to go into specifics with people who were truly feeling suicidal.
    It would blow your mind if I told you how to actually handle those who would hurt themselves or others.
     
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  7. ncargat1

    ncargat1 GC Hall of Fame

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    How do you know it is unnecessary? Where is there any evidence that eliminating this is anything more than typical right-wing hate-mongering? Was their service provider really charging the Federal Government that much more to include an "option #3" on the chat-bot menu?
     
  8. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    Common misconception right here.
    You’re taking your understanding from the movies…as most people do.
     
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  9. g8orbill

    g8orbill Old Gator Moderator VIP Member

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    what is the % of homosexuals who commit suicide vs other groups
     
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  10. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    I don’t believe that is the case unless you mean for just classic counseling. That setting obviously still exists.
    This thread is about suicide, not regular therapy guys. Big difference.
    I’m one of the younger posters on the board if that helps ya.
     
  11. mdgator05

    mdgator05 Premium Member

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    Well, go for it. I have some background in the topic of trauma as I have been diagnosed with PTSD, so I'm not completely ignorant on the topic, but I am willing to hear how there aren't differences in treatment from somebody trained on the treatment side (as my issues weren't at all related to my sexual orientation or gender identity).
     
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  12. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    Not trying to be a smartass, but if you knew how to treat people feeling suicidal, we wouldn’t be having this part of the conversation.
    It’s a whole thing. But when I have talked to friends about it, it’s pretty interesting to see the reaction.
    It’s Nothing like you see on TV.
     
  13. exiledgator

    exiledgator Gruntled

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    Youth:
    • LGBTQ+ youth are more than 4 times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their non-LGBTQ+ peers.

    • According to The Trevor Project's 2023 U.S. National Survey:
      • 41% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.

      • Among transgender and nonbinary youth, this rate was over 50%.

      • 14% of LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in the past year, compared to roughly 1.7% of the general youth population (CDC).
    Adults:
    • A 2016 CDC study found that LGB adults were:
      • More than twice as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual adults.
    • Transgender adults, in particular, report even higher rates of suicide attempts:
      • The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey reported that 40% of transgender adults had attempted suicide in their lifetime, nearly 9 times the U.S. average (4.6%).
    Why the disparity?
    The elevated risk is not due to sexual orientation or gender identity itself, but rather:

    • Discrimination and stigma

    • Family rejection

    • Bullying and violence

    • Lack of access to affirming mental health care
     
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  14. g8orbill

    g8orbill Old Gator Moderator VIP Member

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    md, if I can ask what caused your PTSD
     
  15. sierragator

    sierragator GC Hall of Fame

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    Which also underscores the notion that orientation is not a choice. Who the hell would sign up for all of the above?
     
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  16. mdgator05

    mdgator05 Premium Member

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    Then educate people. Don't just tell everybody that they don't understand. Provide actual information.
     
  17. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    I’m not that excited about giving a training seminar online to strangers lol.
     
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  18. Orange_and_Bluke

    Orange_and_Bluke Premium Member

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    Also…a big part of it is assessing lethality.
    A lot of people who claim to be suicidal are in fact not.
    There are specific ways to uncover how serious someone is about hurting themselves or others.
     
  19. mdgator05

    mdgator05 Premium Member

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    At one point in time in my early 20s I had four members of my family dying at the same time from long-term illnesses (and I had to essentially handle all of them with the direct support of only one other adult family member who lived hours from where this was happening). I lost all of them within three years. In addition, at the time, I was in a fairly abusive and exploitive work environment that caused me to not deal with the loss in a healthy manner (insofar as such a thing is possible). The combination caused classic symptoms of PTSD.
     
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  20. gaterzfan

    gaterzfan GC Hall of Fame

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    I think most on Too Woke agree that these young folks have mental health issues and believe they should have some help. However, not all agree a special service costing US tax dollars (actually the addition of public debt) is necessary when there are already many options already available and any specialized counseling could easily be funded by private support.

    BTW, you evaded the point in my last post …. many illnesses must first pass through a primary care physician or ER before specialists are seen. This should also be the case for a young person with a mental illness. I would think you agree but …. knowing you provide your kids access to porn at age five ….. well, perhaps a hotline call is in order.