“The new service enables Facebook users to report a suicidal comment they see posted by a friend to Facebook using either the Report Suicidal Content link or the report links found throughout the site,” wrote U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin in a post on Facebook’s Safety Blog on Tuesday afternoon…. As Facebook spokesman Frederic Wolens told TPM: “Facebook has been working closely with the suicide prevention community for many years, including a long standing relationship with the [National Suicide Prevention] Lifeline.”…. The tool, which is only available in the U.S. and Canada at present, is a drop-down menu that allows users to anonymously flag posts on the world’s most popular social network as: “Suicidal Content.”
The details are still sketchy, but it appears that Facebook is taking a tremendous step forward in the fight against suicide. So far, the tool has garnered a good deal of attention, as well as praise and head-scratching. There seem to be more questions than answers, but from where I sit, anything that has the potential to prevent someone from taking their life is a good thing. With the holidays and the attendant stresses upon us, life for many is difficult, in some cases perhaps too much so. Suicide is something that most of us may be aware of, but few really think about.
I have some experience in this arena, so I’m happy to see Facebook taking this step. I’ve dealt with depression for most of my life, and there have been times I’ve seriously considered killing myself. Thankfully, this hasn’t happened recently, and l think I’ve finally figured out that life sure as Hell beats whatever the alternative may be. Still, I understand what can lead a person to the point of considering suicide to be an option, because I’ve been there. I’ve been fortunate that I had the wherewithal to be able to reach out for help, but there are those for whom that may not work or even feel possible. Depression is a terrible, awful thing to have to live with; it can, if bad enough, put a person in a place where ending it all may seem to be not only a legitimate option, but perhaps the only option.
I suppose it remains to be seen if Facebook’s new tool will be effective, but if it saves even one life, then I’d have to consider it a rousing success. A tip of the WWJD hat goes out this morning to Facebook. For some, it may be a vast time-suck and a great way to drive productivity to near-zero. For others, it might just turn out to be a life-saver.
