Facebook adds potential suicide victim report system

Facebook is launching a system that allows users to report friends who they think may be contemplating suicide.

The feature is being run in conjunction with the Samaritans, which said several people had used it during a test phase.

Anyone worried about a friend can fill out a form, detailing their concerns, which is passed to the site's moderators.

It follows reports of several cases where Facebook users announced their intention to commit suicide online.

The reporting page asks for the address (URL) of the Facebook page where the messages are posted, the full name of the user and details of any networks they are members of.

Suicide-related alerts will be escalated to the highest level, for attention by Facebook's user operations team.

heres a link to the article on the bbc website www.bbc.co.uk...

Although people will abuse it, It's a good thing. Teens place everything they think on their wall.


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It's a good idea, my only worry is that some will still not take it seriously.

I remember the story of one woman who posted she was about to take an overdose on Facebook and every single one of her "friends" on the site either ignored it or said she was just being melodramatic. The next day, she was found dead.

Then you also have this new trend calling "trolling" where idiots (like someone calling himself Pro Fesser) go on various RIP pages and the like posting insulting images and messages for a laugh.

Not sure about this one, maybe you should try and help someone without having the info usable by facebook or the anyone that works for facebook.
Would it be better for the samaritans to just have their phone number on facebook, or can this save lives?

Originally posted by lewman
Not sure about this one, maybe you should try and help someone without having the info usable by facebook or the anyone that works for facebook.
Would it be better for the samaritans to just have their phone number on facebook, or can this save lives?

Do many people use them though? I know I've been reminded I could call them if I needed by various experts in the field of mental health but I haven't once given them a thought. Putting a link on Facebook for worried friends to fill in is much better because when the thoughts of suicide are going through your head, the last thing you think is to get help yourself.

good example of fighting the symptoms while not adressing the main cause of the disease.

sure people, let's bring on a global nanny system.

soon your computer will be telling you:

"Breathe IN"

"Breathe OUT"

"Five Carbon Credits have been deducted from your Account"

"Thank You, come again!"



so does this show an actual concern for people who desire to commit suicide or adress why people come to that decision in the first place? last time i checked people who want to take their own lifes, do it.

those who post it on facebook are just attention seekers.


sadly all this just seems is another step into the civilian spy on civilian plots.

first we got used to give up our privacy on social networks, once that barrier is wiped.

let's move to purposedly spy and watch on anyone for whatever reason.

I HOPE THEY ADD A LIKE BUTTON TO THE SUICIDE REPORT

actually, they should do a poll system.

Let our social network friends vote on wether we should commit suicide or not, and then RSVP us to the funeral.

the system works!

I think its a bad idea. Anyone who has a normal "bad day" will have the po-lice at their house. How about telling the snot nose little teens to grow up and stop whinning about how bad things are and just deal with it. Kids these days are so weak.


Deebo

reply to post by lewman


And TPTB take another step in the direction of "Big Brother is WATCHING"

This is SPYING folks the only difference is they put a nice touchy feely face on it.

The next step is to "report" anyone who might be "against the Government" akak "Home Grown Terrorists"

Third parties, such as veterinarians, will be required to report "sightings"

Spies Like Us

US planning to recruit one in 24 Americans as citizen spies

The Bush Administration aims to recruit millions of United States citizens as domestic informants in a program likely to alarm civil liberties groups. The program would use a minimum of 4 per cent of Americans to report “suspicious activity”. Civil liberties groups have already warned that, with the passage earlier this year of the Patriot Act, there is potential for abusive, large-scale investigations of US citizens. Highlighting the scope of the surveillance network, TIPS volunteers are being recruited primarily from among those whose work provides access to homes, businesses or transport systems. Letter carriers, utility employees, truck drivers and train conductors are among those named as targeted recruits.

Historically, informant systems have been the tools of non-democratic states. According to a 1992 report by Harvard University’s Project on Justice, the accuracy of informant reports is problematic, with some informants having embellished the truth, and others suspected of having fabricated their reports... www.smh.com.au...

It should be noted that on page 27 of the USDA proposed draft for NAIS it states:

Reporting Animal Movement/Sightings
Records that provide animal location and movements would be received from various sectors of the industry (producers, animal health officials, service providers, markets, and slaughter plants). Such input would be obtained through the integration of the AIN/Animal Transaction file.

Just in case you do not think the government does not use PAID INFORMANTS, that is pay people to rat on you.....

Incredible as it sounds, civil asset forfeiture laws allow the government to seize property without charging anyone with a crime. Until FEAR achieved the nation's first major federal forfeiture law reform at the turn of the millenium, the government was allowed to keep whatever property it seized without ever having to prove a case.

Seized property was presumed guilty and could be forfeited based upon mere hearsay—even a tip supplied by by an informant who stood to gain up to 25% of the forfeited assets.

Owners were forced into the untenable situation of trying to prove a negative—that something never happened, even though no proof of any illegal act had been offered at trial.

Newspapers and television stories across the nation documented hundreds of cases of innocent citizens wrongfully deprived of their homes, businesses and livlihoods. Eighty percent of property forfeited to the US during the previous decade was seized from owners who were never even charged with a crime! Over $7 billion has been forfeited to the federal government since 1985.... www.fear.org...

I don't agree at all with the thinking that the only people who post this stuff on there are whiny teens who seek attention.

I'm well out of my teens, the feeling's genuine and I myself posted not to be attention seeking but because I genuinely felt upset and ready to do it but was too scared, needing that reassurance and someone to talk to. Luckily I had someone to talk to pretty much instantly and then I began to seek help.

It makes me feel sick to my stomach when I have these thoughts and feelings yet read misguided and misinformed "opinion" about "only whiny teens feel that way and do it for attention".

No.

If some do that good for them but those of us who are genuine need a friend to assure us they do actually give a damn otherwise the abject loneliness gets worse and that's when people take their own lives.

If you even experienced half of what people like me go through, you wouldn't blame it on "attention seekers". It'd be like telling grieving widows to man up and stop being a whiny bitch, you just wouldn't say that. Then again, mental illness still seems to have a stigma attached that ignorant people will never understand how it works or how people with it are affected.

Originally posted by curious7
I don't agree at all with the thinking that the only people who post this stuff on there are whiny teens who seek attention.

I'm well out of my teens, the feeling's genuine and I myself posted not to be attention seeking but because I genuinely felt upset and ready to do it but was too scared, needing that reassurance and someone to talk to. Luckily I had someone to talk to pretty much instantly and then I began to seek help.

It makes me feel sick to my stomach when I have these thoughts and feelings yet read misguided and misinformed "opinion" about "only whiny teens feel that way and do it for attention".

No.

If some do that good for them but those of us who are genuine need a friend to assure us they do actually give a damn otherwise the abject loneliness gets worse and that's when people take their own lives.

If you even experienced half of what people like me go through, you wouldn't blame it on "attention seekers". It'd be like telling grieving widows to man up and stop being a whiny bitch, you just wouldn't say that. Then again, mental illness still seems to have a stigma attached that ignorant people will never understand how it works or how people with it are affected.

Teens these days are MUCH different than when we were teens.

Deebo

Well from where I'm sitting, most of today's teens don't seem to last because they're killing thsmelves over comments made by cyber bullies and idiots telling them to do it.

Only difference between now and when I was a teen was that today mental illness is in the open, it's talked about and understood a lot more by those who care and don't wanna use it against someone as yet another tactic to bully.

Originally posted by curious7
Well from where I'm sitting, most of today's teens don't seem to last because they're killing thsmelves over comments made by cyber bullies and idiots telling them to do it.

Thank our modern, developed and advanced society that breeds apathetic children who have nothing to live for and aspire to than be famous or have a distorted ideal of beauty, and yeah when one sane human comes along to shatter those illusions and dreams of hope, yeah call em bullies.

but the reality is it's society that is breeding a bunch of sensitive and whimpy people who can't take one decision for themselves.

People don't need help, people need to start helping themselves.

what happened to the concept of having a Spine, having a backbone?

spineless or not, people have to be individuals first, otherwise they will not survive in a social environment, they will just be clones.

the kids aren't alright

the parents failed to raise them

the state failed to raise the parents

therefore like pretty much else these days, the state or status quo is to blame.

There has to be evidence over time. Not of a bad day.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Originally posted by AnotherYOU

Originally posted by curious7
Well from where I'm sitting, most of today's teens don't seem to last because they're killing thsmelves over comments made by cyber bullies and idiots telling them to do it.

Thank our modern, developed and advanced society that breeds apathetic children who have nothing to live for and aspire to than be famous or have a distorted ideal of beauty, and yeah when one sane human comes along to shatter those illusions and dreams of hope, yeah call em bullies.

but the reality is it's society that is breeding a bunch of sensitive and whimpy people who can't take one decision for themselves.

People don't need help, people need to start helping themselves.

what happened to the concept of having a Spine, having a backbone?

spineless or not, people have to be individuals first, otherwise they will not survive in a social environment, they will just be clones.

the kids aren't alright

the parents failed to raise them

the state failed to raise the parents

therefore like pretty much else these days, the state or status quo is to blame.

edit on 7/3/11 by AnotherYOU because: more rambling

Kids being taunted over their looks, the things they enjoy, that's shattering illusions?

I believe that you sir have no idea what goes on outside your own little bubble of contempt and hope that you don't have children otherwise they'd be told to grow a spine and stop being so weak over kids picking on and bullying them for listening to a certain type of music or for the clothes they wear.

Judging by your post, even in adult life, people are as ignorant as they were as kids. I'd say I pity you but honestly, I don't. I really don't.

Reply to post by curious7

"you are beautiful, no matter what they say. yes, words can't bring you down no..."

whats so wrong in having a spine? and raising your child as such? you tell me you rather have a generation of kids who dress, act and expose themselves as badass superstars, but still get a mental breakdown if some characters typed on a screen are not the ones they expect to read?

if only life had an "x" button aswell...

and you sir need to start debating and picking apart the opinions and messages portrayed(...)


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Reply to post by AnotherYOU

(...)not jump into speculations and personal opinions about and on the character of whoever poster.

usually those who first recognize and denounce ignorance of some sort, are also usually the ones more at ease with such concept themselves. have a nice day.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

reply to post by AnotherYOU


By telling your Children to buck up and grow a spine when they show any type of emotion, you will be teaching them that their emotions are not valid...

Which will likely lead to a Child not being able to speak to their Parents about their troubles and worries because they will feel that showing any type of emotion is wrong. They may not trust their Teachers or Freinds .....and their Parents, the ones they should trust and feel comfortable with, just completely invalidate the Child everytime he or she tries to go to them for help....

Which then leaves the Child without anyone to talk to, so they will bottle all these feelings up inside untill they become so overwhelming to the point where they might feel that taking their own life is the only answer...

..So, they end up on Facebook, or a similar site. A chance to reach out, a cry for help, they write on their status that they are going to end it all, they have Pills, or a Cord hanging, or a Gun....Nobody replies because they think the Kid is Attention Seeking, or a Weirdo, or Weak, or an Idiot.. Or they may get some replies, some saying "Are you ok?" The Kid doesn't know how to answer that, because they have never been taught how to speak about these things and opening up scares them. They may get some nasty replies too, egging them on, saying "If you're gonna do it, do it".....

The Child may not have killed themselves that night, they may have grown up to be a young adult, but they still carry all this pent up emotion and pain around with them untill one day, it completely consumes them.

Your parents might have brought you up that way, to buck up and "Grow a Spine" and you might be ok with that. But not everybody is you. Everyone is different.
The Child in my story may have been sexually abused, badly beaten or bullied. In many circumstances it may be the Parents, Caregivers or Siblings doing those things.

Don't think that everybody who gets to that point in their lives should just "Grow a Spine".... There's usually a reason and quite often a reason you couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Cause and Effect.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the OP. I personally think it's a bad idea. It leaves to much scope to be abused from a data collection stand point, to people hoaxing and wasting Police and Ambulance resources. Not everyone claiming they are going to take their lives will go through with it, often they just need someone to talk to, but don't know how.

There are other ways for The Samaritans to raise awareness without information reports going through Facebook... They need to ramp up their advertising. You would be suprised how many people are unaware of The Samaritans and what they do. I'm also suprised that they are all for this, as their services are supposed to be confidential. I think this is possibly the thing that concerns me the most.

How about being a mean Mommy and Daddy and dont let your kids go on FB until their at least 18? Any younger than that and they dont need FB -- they need to play outside in fresh air and play Flashlight Tag or Kick The Can until dark when your Mom calls you home and you go to bed....geezz...

And dont say its different today - its not! Parents just let be different 'cause they dont want to be a parent!

Originally posted by Deebo
I think its a bad idea. Anyone who has a normal "bad day" will have the po-lice at their house. How about telling the snot nose little teens to grow up and stop whinning about how bad things are and just deal with it. Kids these days are so weak.


Deebo

Yea and that would be just another thing that will actually encourage people to commit suicide. When we are forced to take more and more bull#, then of course more and more people won`t be able to bear it.

As one of the posters above said, it`s adressing the symptom, not the disease. And I will add:
When you try to treat the symptom, you are usually worsening the disease, at least when it comes to society.