Facebook started a partnership with Now Matters Now, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Save.org and Forefront Innovations in Suicide Prevention. The partnership consists in creating a new type of support that prevents those that manifest dubious content on their posts that if not addressed to in time could lead to this ultimate act. As the rate of suicide rises this issue is quite serious, therefore certain steps have always to be taken into account especially since this also spreads to the virtual, not only to the real side. So how exactly does the suicide prevention come into play? The more than known social network Facebook added a report button that submits for thorough review any content leaning to ideas regarding suicide. This content is examined by a team dedicated to fight off such dreaded thoughts and try to help those in this situation.
So how Facebook aims to achieve this goal? How can something like this can be prevented? By simply listening to the vulnerable ones might be a suitable answer, and maybe with a little more caring factor. Being an online social network, Facebook will start to roll out specific tools to prevent and support those who are in need with resources and friends. In all those darkest times perhaps a kind word spoken at the right time might just do to someone a world of good. Users can report content for review and encourage those who are vulnerable to get help. Built on a 2011 reporting feature, this initiative employs a trained team, ample resources and features to help those finding themselves at the end of their wits to turn them away from the risk of self-harm or suicide.
Facebook goes further than “like” by implementing sucide-prevention tools
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US and the Samaritans in the UK are two of the bodies that check a person’s factors and motivations towards suicide. What is to be learned from this is that many organizations and companies work together to prevent as best as possible this phenomenon, but how exactly does all this work? Well, after reviewing a report followed by a confirmation that a Facebook user shows signs of suicidal nature, the troubled person will receive notifications that his situation has been acknowledged and that a friend has attempted to help by offering access to the suicide prevention resources. See here. Following this, the vulnerable user will further be encouraged to connect either to a friend or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (in US) or to seek help with the other partnering organizations such as Forefront, Now Matters Now or Save.org.
The tools mentioned in this article further allows the user who reported the situation of the friend in need of help to access support resources, such as calling and messaging options to help the said friend by contacting another friend or reaching a suicide support line. This update is for now starting to roll out for Facebook users in the U.S but plans are that this tool will be available to other countries as well. Will this be a well-grounded initiative? Maybe the start of a fight against a final problem for a temporary solution. Such is suicide