This is wonderful. If SafeSpace only saves one life it will be worth the effort. Thank you to all who made it happen.

I wish there was a safe place for adults also, like the man who walked in front of the train recently. Maybe if there was a professional he could have talked to without making an appointment, he might not have stepped in front of the train.

Not long ago I went through a crisis and ended up at a local county facility where people who threaten suicide are taken and placed on a 24 hour hold - a place that resembles a prison where no counseling is offered and the individual in crisis is forced to stay in a room with other people in crisis, with nothing to read or do - just sit and wait for 24 hours of hell till you're let out. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and because of it I will never again seek help if I ever feel suicidal again. I learned my lesson.

Dear Depressed -
Thank you for posting your experience. I will do some research and find you a resource and post it here, very soon.

Here is a resource:
National Alliance on Mental Illness San Mateo County
Web Link - home page
Web Linksupport/ - resources

In addition:

Any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal can call 1-800-784-2433 to speak with a crisis counselor. Spanish speakers can call 1-888-628-9454.

People can reach trained counselors at Crisis Text Line by texting 741741.

How wonderful that this service is now being offered to our youth! Thank you for all the hard work you have done to create this excellent model. This is something I will support and hope others will too!

I've had the privilege of touring this SafeSpace location. It's beautiful, welcoming and easily accessible. Bay Area Children's Association, in my opinion, provides some of the best psychiatric and psychological services in our community. Youth who need immediate care from a mental health professional have had to choose between hospitalization (often far away from home) or waiting for weeks for an appointment. This type of "urgent care" offering will save lives and reduce suffering for so many youth and their families. Thank you so much, SafeSpace.

Depressed- I have an adult son who has major depressive disorder and who was hospitalized as a teen. Please check out San Jose Behavioral Health (a beautiful new facility which takes walk-ins 24/7) and El Camino Hospital in Mountain View (which is so dedicated to Behavioral Health that they are in the process of building a new mental health facility). Also, DBSASF offers free, walk-in peer-to-peer support groups every Saturday and Monday (year-round, regardless of holidays) at St Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

Sarah1000, you don't seem to understand... people who have experienced our broken system - a system that actually punishes people for simply having thoughts of suicide, are reluctant to seek help. Our mental healthcare system is severely flawed which is one of the reasons it seems that SafeSpace was created. Young people need a place to go when they're depressed - a place where they can seek counseling without fear of being locked up in a county facility simply for thinking about suicide. Adults need something similar, but I don't think there is anyplace for us to go, especially those of us without medical insurance.

A few years ago I was depressed, mostly from a physical health problem. I stupidly told my doctor that I was tired of experiencing pain, and started crying in her office. She asked me if I was suicidal and I told her I thought about it but didn't have the means to carry it out. She was concerned but I left her office promising that I would not attempt suicide. I drove home, and about 15 minutes later the police showed up at my door. My doctor had called the police because, it turns out, she was advised to do so so she would not be liable should I harm myself. I was calm and cooperative with the police and promised that I was not going to harm myself. Still, they insisted on putting me in handcuffs and hauling me off to Santa Clara Valley mental health facility for 24 hours of observation - a 51/50. I was treated like a criminal, like I had broken a law and was being punished. I was placed in a room with no escape, similar to a prison, with about 30 other individuals - mostly teens who seemed to be bipolar, a few homeless people, and some seriously disturbed individuals. Any attempt of escape meant being tackled to the ground by the police . I was given a blanket to wrap around myself because it was very cold in the room. There was nothing to do to pass the 24 hours of hell: no cell phones allowed, no books to read, nada. There was a TV that didn't work very well with the volume turned down. There was a staff observing the inmates: nurses, police, people with clipboards - observing and taking notes. The goal for the inmates was to look normal to be released. There were no caring people to talk to - no counselors or even a friendly face for reassurance. It was a punishment facility for those who have thoughts of suicide or threaten suicide. Shame on us. There were only 3 beds, so the 27 people without beds had to sit in chairs all night - kind of like being stuck in an airport after a flight is canceled. After the 24+ hours were up, a psychiatrist interviewed each inmate. I had to promise that I was not suicidal to be released. I would have said anything to get out of there.

I've heard so many times that people who commit suicide often don't display any warning signs - they appear happy and normal. Now I know why. A cry for help equals punishment and prison.

There needs to be a place where depressed adult people can go where they can talk to counselors without threat of being locked up for thoughts of suicide. I learned to never let anyone know that I am depressed. My doctor made it perfectly clear to me to keep my mouth shut.

Again, a big thank you to the folks who founded SafeSpace. I would encourage all teens to take advantage of such a great resource.

@Depressed I agree with you (and I apologize for not stating such in my prior comment). I am appalled that mental health issues are "criminalized" rather than treated like other health issues. Unfortunately, your experience is common. There is a model for a SafeSpace-type place for adults called The Living Room https://www.health.solutions/services/emergency-crisis-services/crisis-living-room/ . Other states have these living rooms. Hopefully, your sharing of your experience will help motivate a local mental health provider to consider developing a living room here. (Until then, the support group I mentioned in San Francisco is very supportive and nonjudgmental. Even the facilitator is a peer.)