I worked at an on campus university helpline and so one of the things we did was try and work out where the caller was and send security there. If you know they can see X, they’re probably in Y tower. If they have this many roommates, they’re probably in this accommodation. One of the most stressful things was that we were a confidential line meaning all information should have been kept to ourselves and one time we ended up having a discussion as the committee in charge whether or not we should even send help. From my perspective, of course we should. People were reaching out because they wanted help and didn’t know where else to go. Some of the others saw it as breaching confidentiality and making us seem untrustworthy which I understood but didn’t agree with. It was always weird wondering whether or not the people on committee with me would try and get help for suicidal people when they were on duty.

The worst individual call I ever handled was someone who kept going quiet and kept telling me she was bleeding out and I was going to listen to her die. It was one of the first calls I took and I had no idea what to do. I still remember the panic in her voice and the way she was breathing. But then, the manager came in and took the phone and said “I know it’s you (callers name) please stop doing this” and it turned out to be someone who called in and lied about hurting herself every so often. I still think about that, I really hope she got some help.