If you are suicidal, don't call a hotline. See a friend, talk to family, but don't consult a professional. Professionals, in many countries, are bound by law to refer you to a psych ward. Even if your state of mind is temporary, you'll be stuck there for days, weeks and sometimes even months. Often, staff are abusive.
It's 3am, you ring a friend, they don't pick up. You ring home, your parents are asleep. "do NOT call a hotline" you remember. Nobody to talk to. Nobody loves you. Worthless piece of human fucking garbage. Better off dead. Better off dead when the people who "love" you aren't there when you need them. Waste of space, waste of air. A bother. You're just bothering them. The last thing they'll think of you as is a bother. That's how worthless you are. Piece of shit. Absolute garbage. Better off dead. Just fucking end it already.
^ Thought process of a suicidal person.
"do NOT call a hotline" is, IMO, actively harmful advice. If you're debating whether or not you should call, remember that normal people wouldn't even think about it, and call the damn hotline. Save your life.
I speak from personal experience. What happened to me is quite real.
Don't forget - you are not anonymous when you call these hotlines. Far from it. If you call expecting your anonymity to be honoured, then you are making a grave mistake.
Everything you said above is true, but this is advice that I feel on the fence about giving.
If you call a hotline, it is not unlikely that your life will be disrupted. You may very well be involuntarily committed to a psych ward for days/weeks/months, depending on your mental state. Some psych wards aren't great, but some really aren't all that bad.
It may sound scary to have your life disrupted like this, but hey...
If you are feeling suicidal... Ya know, considering ending your life suicidal... Maybe this kind of disruption is exactly what you need.
As someone who was very badly affected by the Australian medical system, let me just say that what happens to you in the system will almost certainly traumatize you as much as the event that led up to it.
It's very easy for someone to say otherwise, unless they have experienced it first hand. Have you?
No judgment or anything else implied, but I can't help thinking that the alternative might be you not being here to tell this. Would you find this a better option, now? It's hard to imagine (for me).
Somewhat ironically, the person I spoke to actually calmed me down enough to allow me to go and call on a friend. By the time the authorities arrived I was in a much better state. All they did was waste resources and reintroduce my negative thoughts.
I called them to be anonymous and not disturb my family, so I could get into a calmer state where I could get help from my loved ones. They utterly failed.
Which wonderful place do you live in where there is all this spare capacity in MH services? Speaking for the Uk, you're not getting sectionned unless you're really at imminent unavoidable risk, and you'll probably be out in a few days
If you are suicidal, do not call a hotline.