Facebook Will Now Reach Out To Users Who Their Friends Think Are Suicidal

                                            <b>&ldquo;Social connectedness helps people,&rdquo; says Facebook, &ldquo;and that&rsquo;s what we do best.&rdquo;</b>                                                          

If a Facebook user posts a worrying status, that person’s friends can now report the post and try to get them help.

Facebook will then give them the option to contact the friend, contact another friend for support, or contact a suicide hotline.

The new feature began yesterday.

Dado Ruvic / Reuters

The social network teamed up with a number of suicide prevention organizations and research centers in hopes of helping people online prevent their friends from committing suicide.

These organizations include National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Now Matters Now, Save.org, and Forefront: Innovations in Suicide Prevention from the School of Social Work at Washington University.

Facebook has a special team who will look at reported posts and, if they deem it necessary, contact the person who posted it with this pop-up:

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Next, the person will be given these options:

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If they select “talk to someone,” they will be given the options to call NSPL, or chat with a helper online.

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If they select “Get tips and support,” they will be shown a video of someone who contemplated or attempted suicide and overcame it:

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Then they will be given advice on some things that might help them get through a hard time:

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Finally, they will be given a few more ways to seek help.

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“Many of us don’t know what to do when a friend makes comments [expressing suffering or resignation] on social media. Facebook wants to change that,” the organization Forefront said in the video on the new feature.

Video available at: http://vimeo.com/120520232.

vimeo.com

“One of the first things that Forefront taught us is that social connectedness helps people more than anything else,” says Facebook’s product manager Rob Boyle in the video, “and that’s what we do best.”

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/facebook-might-help-prevent-suicide

This Suicide Prevention Site Is Really Funny And It’s Working

                                            <b>&ldquo;Give your mind the same attention you give your penis.&rdquo;</b>                                                         

1. Men account for 79% of all suicides in the United States each year.

The most at-risk? Those aged 25-54 — the very same group that is the least likely to seek treatment or ask for help.

2. Why? Well, because a lot of people still see mental health disorders as “unmanly signs of weakness.

Which is totally stupid. Just so we’re clear.

3. That’s where Dr. Rich Mahogany, Man Therapist, comes in.

Dr. Rich and ManTherapy.org is a bad ass collaboration between Denver-based advertising agency Cactus, the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Carson J Spencer Foundation, a Colorado-based suicide prevention nonprofit organization aimed at dismantling the barriers between men and their mental health, and it’s working.

4. Aside from funny videos, mantherapy.org offers up a super interactive web experience.

5. Visitors to Dr. Rich’s virtual office can access self-assessment tools, DIY resources to help fine tune your mental health at home, and of course Dr. Rich-approved man therapists near you.

He has a point, guys.

6. Aussie men are in luck too — turns out Dr. Rich Mahogany has a brother from another mother down under.

See Dr. Brian Ironwood in action HERE.

7. As Dr. Rich says, “You can’t fix your mental health with duct tape,” but manly breathing techniques are worth a try.

Need inspiration from those who have been there? Check out these survivor stories.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts please seek immediate help:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (USA): 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Samaritans (UK): 08457 90 90 90

Suicide Prevention (Aus): 13 11 14

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/morganshanahan/this-suicide-prevention-site-is-really-funny-and-its-working