Text Messages

A chap broke up with his partner of 3 to 4 months.

They started sending increasingly acrimonious text messages to one another.

Laughing with his brother he said, "this'll wind her up!" and texted her saying he'd go to the woods and kill himself.

She 'phones the police saying she's had 40 texts from him that day and he was suicidal. Police find him late afternoon and detain him under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and drag him to my hospital. Where he's laughing and smiling and well. Obviously so.

It's hours before an Approved Social Worker (ASW) could visit since they were busy with other distraught folk.

At almost midnight, the ASW arrives so she and I assess him. After a few minutes it's clear he's neither suicidal nor ill. Being zealous I spend an hour and check everything and find him to be absolutely fine and well, far better than most folk are, in truth! Cheerful, happy with his life (and new partner), no stresses, physically well, great relationships with family, no worries about anything and looking incredibly well.

The moral of the tale : Don't text folk saying you're suicidal as a joke, or police will detain you for an evening/night (with risks of it all going pear shaped after that "just in case"). Even after break ups, play nice :-)