Facebook Suicide Prevention- Social networking Facebook is really going extra mile. After their recent announcement of Facebook Profile after death setting, now comes Facebook Suicide Prevention feature that is geared on helping 'suicidal' people.
The upcoming Facebook Suicide Prevention feature was announced at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, California during the fifth annual Compassion Research Day on Feb.25 and will be first available for U.S. users.
Working hand-in-hand with Forefront, the social networking site aims to support people who are experiencing the worst time of their life and may be expressing suicidal thoughts on Facebook.
Facebook Suicide Prevention feature works by enabling support feature where users can report suicidal posts on the site and help these people.
Here are bits of information about Facebook Suicide Prevention feature that you must know:
Feature#1: Users can report to Facebook anyone who is suggesting thoughts of suicide.
Feature#2: Users can click an option in the dropdown menu to report the particular post to the site.
Feature#3: The user who reports the incident will be receiving responses. He may message the person who wrote the 'suicidal post.'
Feature#4: The user may opt to contact another Facebook friend for support.
Feature#5: The user may contact a trained professional under the Suicide Helpline.
"If someone on Facebook sees a direct threat of suicide, we ask that they contact their local emergency services immediately," stated Nicole Staubli and Rob Boyle of Facebook.
When Facebook reviewed the posts and it is something 'distressful,' the Facebook Suicide Prevention team will automatically launched 'help' screens the next time the susceptible person comes online in Facebook. The person will receive resources and alternatives that may help him during the dark times.
The susceptible user may receive notification to connect to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, may receive self-help advice from trusted resources with mental health organizations including Forefront, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Now Matters Now, and Save.org in the US or may connect to a friend.
As reported by University of Washington, The Facebook Suicide Prevention feature will also guide family members or friends in providing alternative steps that can help them in reaching out to the concerned person and help him during the tough times.
Jennifer Stuber, a UW associate professor of social work who started Forefront after her husband died by suicide in 2011 said, in the world of suicide prevention, being connected is a protective factor.
People are in Facebook 24/7 so there's opportunity to actually connect a suicidal person with someone they have a relationship with.
In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 41,149 suicides making it the 10th leading cause of deaths in the United States. It sums up to a detailed record that someone dies because of suicide every 12.8 minutes.
We may encounter people in our Facebook circle that may need help.
Facebook Suicide Prevention feature is a perfect tool that can actually help save lives and change people's thoughts who may be feeling alone, defeated or afraid of anything.
