Dear Queenie,
What should you do when someone you love calls in the middle of the night and says he’s going to kill himself?
My son made such a call and as soon as he hung up I called the police and the ambulance, just to be safe. Now he’s mad at me because he says he was so embarrassed when all those people showed up in the middle of the night and waked up the whole neighbourhood.
Queenie, what should I have done?—Upset mother
Dear Upset mother,
You should have done exactly what you did. If your son is embarrassed, he brought it on himself by his irrational behaviour.
You son seems to be having severe emotional difficulties and is probably in urgent need of professional help. Encourage him to seek the help he needs. Consult your family doctor and/or the Women’s Desk for a referral.
And if you should ever receive such a call from him again, I suggest you call him back right away, before you call the emergency services, to see whether he has changed his mind or is just being extremely melodramatic. However, if you are not absolutely certain his life is not in danger, call out the troops again. Better to be safe than sorry.
