Alex's Answer

Hi there,

 

Thank you for reaching out to Ask Alex with what’s going on for you. It can be a really hard step to take to open up about what you are experiencing, and it takes great courage to do so.

 

You have said that you have tried to text different suicidal hotlines, but it never goes through, and you are wondering what to do. That must be really frustrating and upsetting. It sounds like you are reaching out to these services in the hope of getting some support in relation to suicide. Getting support in this area is a very brave and important thing to do. It must be really hard when you are reaching out and your request for support is not being received. Unfortunately, this can happen for a number of reasons. There may be connection difficulties on your end or their end; there may be many people trying to use the service at the same time, and it may have slowed the connection down.

 

What is important is that you know that it is not because your problem or situation is not important enough. These services do try their best to support all people who engage with the support they are looking for. You have the right to access support, and you never have to go through this alone.

 

When you try to contact these hotlines, do you use a text service/online chat or a phone call? It may help to try alternatives to get through. Again, we know this is frustrating and not ideal. You can try PIETA HOUSE (For those at risk of suicide or self-harm, or those concerned about someone at risk.) Their website is: www.pieta.ie, their phone number: 1800 247 247 (24-hour), and text service: 51444 – Text ‘HELP’ (24-hour). Another service you can try that provides online support is Turn2me: www.turn2me.org.

 

We also have some helpful articles on our website, such as: www.childline.ie/suicide/. Remember you do not ever have to go through this alone. If you feel at risk, call emergency services at 999 or 112.

 

Childline is always here to listen and talk about what’s going on for you and how you are feeling. You have been very brave in reaching out. If you would like to talk about this further, Childline is always here for you. You can call us at any time on 1800 66 66 66, or you can start a Live Chat on www.childline.ie by clicking on the Orange Tab on the right-hand side of your screen.

 

Take care of yourself, we are here should you choose to get in touch again,

 

Alex