Facebook Rolls Out A New Tool For Suicide Prevention

DavidSullivan

This is a great concept!



''Facebook announced it has worked with mental health organizations including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Now Matters Now to find the proper way to offer assistance through the social network''

''If someone posts something that indicates self harm or suicidal thoughts and it is reported to Facebook, they will be encouraged to speak with a mental health expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and will be offered tips and support to help work through their issues. Facebook says these methods were created in "conjunction with our clinical and academic partners."

smash

I don't see any solutions here. It's a 10 minute job for facebook... someone reports a post, ticks a box to say the post indicates self harm or suicidal thoughts and the poster then gets a message which directs them to a page with some info. No doubt it will be abused.

Facebook are smart enough to detect patterns in people's posting in order to place targeted ads, so they're smart enough to detect these other indicators without the need for someone to report a friend. And if you're a proper friend, you don't report a post, you pick up the phone or you call around.

ScumLord

DavidSullivan wrote: »

''If someone posts something that indicates self harm or suicidal thoughts and it is reported to Facebook, they will be encouraged to speak with a mental health expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and will be offered tips and support to help work through their issues.

It's a trick by samaritan! I saw this all in person of interest episode, the machine is trying to kill us all!!

DavidSullivan

smash wrote: »

I don't see any solutions here. It's a 10 minute job for facebook... someone reports a post, ticks a box to say the post indicates self harm or suicidal thoughts and the poster then gets a message which directs them to a page with some info. No doubt it will be abused.

Facebook are smart enough to detect patterns in people's posting in order to place targeted ads, so they're smart enough to detect these other indicators without the need for someone to report a friend. And if you're a proper friend, you don't report a post, you pick up the phone or you call around.

I understand your point Smash but any awareness is positive! Either way, if it saves a life.. happy days.

smash

DavidSullivan wrote: »

I understand your point Smash but any awareness is positive! Either way, if it saves a life.. happy days.

Awareness... that word is thrown around too much. Everyone is aware that there are suicides and everyone who is suicidal is aware that there is help. People just choose to ignore it. Forcing it down people's throats isn't going to change it. Much like banner ads, they become invisible.

Zippie84

Not sure if people are also aware of the recent disastrous 'Samaritans radar' twitter app that caused a lot of concern, didn't appear to be well thought out, take into content the wants of those who would 'benefit' from it. Was quickly pulled after huge concern:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-29962199

Although I work in suicide prevention I've not yet had a chance to read up on the new facebook one, although from what I've heard, unlike Samaritans radar app, it's opt-in rather than opt-out.

Both twitter and facebook very different platforms where people are likely to be connecting with different groups of people, but there was a strong feeling with Samaritans Radar that people should be consenting to be involved.

Also, here's a story from 2011 of a woman who posted on facebook saying 'Took all my pills, be dead soon, bye bye everyone'. Not one of over 1000 facebook 'friends' checked if she was ok / sent help. Well, I think some who didn't know her address tried to get it, but no one local checked on her.

Instead many mocked her and argued on her facebook status, that she was attention seeking, that she was doing it over a failed relationship and that it wasn't a good enough reason etc. She was found dead the next day:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344281/Facebook-suicide-None-Simone-Backs-1-082-online-friends-helped-her.html

Interesting times we're in with regards to social media and suicide, very early days, but we need to be very careful with these tools (suicide prevention apps etc) I think.

Zippie84

smash wrote: »

Awareness... that word is thrown around too much. Everyone is aware that there are suicides and everyone who is suicidal is aware that there is help. People just choose to ignore it. Forcing it down people's throats isn't going to change it. Much like banner ads, they become invisible.

In regards to 'people choose to ignore it' what is that people are choosing to ignore?

One of the worst parts of all of this is that people so often feel unable to reach out for help, but that when they do the right help isn't always there, that people are sometimes given 'help' that makes things worse. There's so many myths around suicide, and another one that we're hearing more and more in services is people being treated as if they are not serious because they reach out for help. Catch 22. People told to reach out, but when they do, then told they're not serious.

Whole other kettle of fish really from the facebook tool, but many people with mental health problems now speaking back and highlighting that the constant message on awareness campaign seems to be 'you need to talk. you need to reach out and get help' but that help just isn't unfortunately always how it needs to be at all, and that that needs to change.

darkpagandeath

Random people on the internet saying horrible things to me... If there was only an Ignore button or close account or even an off switch on my pc...

Zippie84

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Random people on the internet saying horrible things to me... If there was only an Ignore button or close account or even an off switch on my pc...

That's not what the tool is for though, is it?

darkpagandeath

Zippie84 wrote: »

That's not what the tool is for though, is it?

Nope, Those mentioned are tools you can use to ignore the Trolls.

Zippie84

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Nope, Those mentioned are tools you can use to ignore the Trolls.

So, they don't relate to this thread, which isn't about trolls?

darkpagandeath

Zippie84 wrote: »

So, they don't relate to this thread, which isn't about trolls?

Ok you win, Lets agree that people only ever log onto social media when they have just become suicidal. And have never been affected by social media being the Cause of their suicidal thoughts. Yes lets agree that.

Zippie84

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Ok you win, Lets agree that people only ever log onto social media when they have just become suicidal. And have never been affected by social media being the Cause of their suicidal thoughts. Yes lets agree that.

Nope. I'm not going to agree with that, as I never suggested it, and know more than enough about suicide prevention to know otherwise (as I'm sure you probably do too). I think it's important that all of us develop a good understanding as it really is an issue that affects us all at some point.

There's nothing for me to 'win' here. I was confused that you were responding with stuff that was unrelated to the thread, and now you're again responding with some stuff saying we should agree to that is really not what the tool is about, and that we both know are untrue, so if you want to keep at that, feel free, but I don't have any need to .

Capt'n Midnight

When are they going to roll out the new tool for reporting terrorism or at least stop aiding terror by clamping down on the videos ?

ToddyDoody

Isn't it quite something how facebook and twitter have allowed Joe 'hand down his pants' public get close to suicide.

I've seen profiles of people updating their statuses as they committed suicide and i've seen profiles of people who committed suicide full of comments from friends giving the victim their best wishes etc.

I actually simply don't know what to think, say or do when it comes to this, the issue is much bigger than me.