Hi Yue,

Thanks for your encouraging reply. I also understand the importance of treatment, however, I fear for what may happen to him if he reveals that he does have suicide thoughts.

Two years ago, my cousin requested anti-depressant pills from her university health center in hopes to alleviate her depression and they asked her the question, “Do you have thoughts of suicide?” She replied “Yes” and the health center took away her cell phone and sent her to a psychiatric center against her will even though she was over 18. They didn’t allow her to receive anything from home or call her family until the next day. While my cousin was in the center, she received therapy and pills. I visited her once and she told me that the therapists only listen to her and do not care about her. They even told her that if she was to do anything crazy or leave the center, they would track her down and put her into another center for crazy people. In my opinion, although the center meant well, the experience was traumatic for my cousin. She did say that it helped her take initiative after she was allowed to leave the center and look for other ways of therapy. But she never revealed to her therapists that she was suicidal because she was afraid they would take her away again since they are required to report everything. Even though she appreciated that she was able to express her thoughts and feelings to an objective person, she ended up giving up therapy because she couldn’t be truthful to the therapists.

I don’t want this to happen to my boyfriend too, although he is out of school already. Will he be able to speak freely to a psychiatrist and not have to be retained in a center? Is there a way for him to overcome his depression through natural ways?