So,
for a while now I’ve been in contact with an institution to do voluntary work at a loneliness/depression/suicide risk help line. I went to an interview, where among other things, I opened up and talked about having schizophrenia but being stabilized with meds, and I got the feedback that that wouldn’t be a reason not to accept me there, that I would just need to send them an email after what we’d talked at the interview confirming that I was still interested in being a volunteer. And so I did.
Now, about 20 minutes ago I received a message from the institution saying that they reached the conclusion that in the interest of the service and to my own defense, maybe this isn’t the most suited volunteering for me.
This caught me off guard, as nothing they said made me predict this outcome, quite the contrary, and I really don’t know if I should insist with them, give them an answer like “thanks for feeding the stigma!”, or just let it be…
Thanks for reading btw
1 Like
they said ‘maybe’ it isnt the most suited so is there nothing you can do or say to convince them it is, show them how keen you are?
if you think it may be correct though then maybe it is best to try something else
they followed that line with “We’re sorry to take this decision, we feel you were truly commited, but we believe it’s the best. Don’t give up on helping your similars. We’re sure you’ll find another institution where you can develop your work.” so my take on it was that the maybe was just a way of them not sounding too assertive on the no.
Do you think I should insist with them still? It was something I was really looked forward to, but I’m not sure how to change their mind. Maybe sugest them to try it out for a week or so? I also feel kind of bad for going after them after this no which surely is based on the schizophrenia I talked about, but at the same time if they end up accepting me on a trial I may just prove them wrong and fight the stigma. What do you think?
1 Like
I volunteered at a nursing home for awhile. It was depressing. Learn from this and move up in the world, volunteer for something more positive, maybe at church, maybe Habitat fit Humanity, find a new hobby. Suicide is a tough subject.
2 Likes
Yeah, I also thought a lesson lived, a lesson learned. But I got pissed that they said it wouldn’t be a problem and then answered me saying that it even was in my defense. Thanks for the advices @NiceHat!
i think these are very sensitive matters for us and if its on the phone then you may need some experience,
i do a little phoning around but it is minimal and easier than most, it does require learning new skills, i talk to carers who may have problems in their role, there is always something that i do wrong but i usually work it out,
maybe you could do some other type of volunteering involving phoning or admin maybe, i have also applied for a charity shop role so its good to keep your options open
my main goal is to try and hold a job down though, i’d like to get paid tbh
Most of the suicide prevention hotlines and amateur counseling services here specifically say you can’t have a mental illness or recent history of abuse. The reason they do this is because they have seen people break under the stress. It happens literally every day in that field. They don’t want to put people who are already at risk in a position that will hurt them.
2 Likes
I’ve hold a bunch of telemarketing jobs, I can handle talking on the phone and i’m actually good at it, I just wasn’t expecting this response from them…
Yeah, maybe I’ll check if the local church needs a hand, I’ve already tried to volunteer to work with the homeless population destributing food but they never called me back and wouldn’t answer my calls and emails (didn’t mention schizophrenia on this one). I actually know a guy who is responsible for a van that does some rounds there, everytime we see eachother he tells me “I’ll call you next time we make the round!” but he never does, so I’m not expecting anything from there.
In my country some of the psychiatric hospitals offer courses in things like gardening and serving tables, to the patients, and I’ve seen some of that population working afterwards in the cafeteria of other non-psychiatric hospitals and such, is there anything like that where you live? It could be a door if there’s something like it.
1 Like
I got that, I think that they didn’t accepted me there also because of some possibility that that happens and then they get responsibility for letting someone with a mental illness do the job. It just bugs me knowing that if I hadn’t mentioned it, things would’ve been different.
And the fact that one of the interviewers, who is also a volunteer there, said she also had had a mental problem a few years before starting to volunteer, but that it wasn’t schizophrenia, and that that was also a catalyst to make her want to do that job, makes me think that it was the word schizoprenia that put under a microscope after the interview spooked them…
Well, nothing I can do now about that, I was willing to help, but nevermind. Got to move along.
It does suck, but we are in the highest risk category of all mental illnesses. Except maybe psychopaths. From a legal standpoint it makes sense, even though it’s not really fair.
1 Like
i was volunteering in a community cafe in the kitchen every friday for over a year but my anxiety got the better of me and i had to stop, thats why i need a desk job but i’m hoping the charity shop venture will go ok.
1 Like
Good luck with that gig daydreamer! 
1 Like
i hope you find something as well, i have always wanted to do what you tried, i love counselling people over the phone and have thought about the samaritans bc i phoned them twice once and on both calls the people were amazing with me and really helped, if i can do that for someone and get paid for it then that would be great
1 Like
There is a disclaimer on one of ours that you need a note form your treating tdoc or pdoc to be eligible. My tdoc stated no she wouldn’t at the time as felt I needed more outside activities to be able to handle the stress. My last support site had a crisis board and after like two years of trying to be everything for everyone and caught up with my ego that I was the only one that could help I totally agree with her.
Help yourself before helping others.
1 Like
Oh I’m sorry. But maybe it’s for the best, you know? I don’t think it’s stigma, I think it’s genuine concern of things going sour, and they don’t actually know how well you are or aren’t and how much you can take.
I don’t know if you ever dealt with a suicidal person, but it’s extremelly hard to cope, and to help when they have their minds made up and just call to tell you that they’re going to do it. Dealing with that on a regular basis must be exhausting.
I’m sure you’ll find something, just don’t accept volunteer gigs at Rock in Rio 
1 Like