Your experience with content about suicide or self-harm
Discussion
This isn't typically something we allow on PH – but the Samaritans have really helped us recently, so we want to help them too.
If you have had any experience whatsoever of seeing or posting online content about suicide or self-harm, whether it be on PH or elsewhere, we'd be really grateful if you could share some time to complete this survey.
Thank you.
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The Samaritans and Middlesex University are inviting people aged 16+ who live in the UK to fill in a 10 to 20-minute survey about their experiences of seeing or posting online content about suicide or self-harm. This research will help us to make the internet a safer place for everyone.
You can take part in this survey if you have ever seen, posted, or engaged with self-harm or suicide content online. This content could include news stories about self-harm or suicide, lived experience accounts, or posts about recovery. You don’t need to have personal experience of self-harm or suicidal feelings to take part. We are particularly keen to hear from men about their experiences.
Find out how to take part in this survey here: https://mdxl.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cNFvDsPu...
If you have had any experience whatsoever of seeing or posting online content about suicide or self-harm, whether it be on PH or elsewhere, we'd be really grateful if you could share some time to complete this survey.
Thank you.
–
The Samaritans and Middlesex University are inviting people aged 16+ who live in the UK to fill in a 10 to 20-minute survey about their experiences of seeing or posting online content about suicide or self-harm. This research will help us to make the internet a safer place for everyone.
You can take part in this survey if you have ever seen, posted, or engaged with self-harm or suicide content online. This content could include news stories about self-harm or suicide, lived experience accounts, or posts about recovery. You don’t need to have personal experience of self-harm or suicidal feelings to take part. We are particularly keen to hear from men about their experiences.
Find out how to take part in this survey here: https://mdxl.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cNFvDsPu...
I think people should talk about it more openly including on PH. We talk about other illness, why not severe mental illness? More people talk about it, the less taboo it becomes and the more "socially" acceptable talking about severe mental health becomes. Social acceptability is the key to it becoming more high profile which will mean MP's consider it a vote winner to increase funding which will make things better in the long run.
Currently mental health is a massive taboo despite the high numbers effected. Give an MP a choice between funding cancer or mental health treatment and you know its cancer that will get the money.
Currently mental health is a massive taboo despite the high numbers effected. Give an MP a choice between funding cancer or mental health treatment and you know its cancer that will get the money.
TheJimi said:
Not wishing to be provocative, by the way, but if memory serves me correctly, a thread on this subject was deleted by the mods recently (well, relatively)
Yes it was which was hugely disappointing, as someone who's father killed himself I would like way more discussions on this subject particularly as most people who post on PH are men.Edited by TheJimi on Wednesday 17th November 19:37
mcelliott said:
Yes it was which was hugely disappointing, as someone who's father killed himself I would like way more discussions on this subject particularly as most people who post on PH are men.
We are happy for members to discuss mental health here and encourage people to do so, however if we get reports about a thread being upsetting or distressing for some members, then unfortunately we may be forced to delete posts or remove an entire thread if necessary.Equally, while PH can be an incredibly supportive environment it’s worth bearing in mind that most members are unlikely to be trained to deal with helping people in distress and for some members, we would recommend reaching out to someone like the Samaritans, as detailed here.
I know one of my threads about discussing experiences of suicide got deleted as someone suicidal basically said they wanted to hurt themselves. Its a shame the thread could not have been sanitised of that guys posts rather than totally deleted.
The whole subject is going to be disturbing for some people - as is self harm and serious mental illness as a whole. Although you would think if you are someone who is sensitive to issues on suicide, you wouldn't choose to read a thread discussing suicide in the health section.
I know its hard to strike a balance but on occasion it has been a bit wrong IMO. I think when discussing such topics, its hard to explain or help people understand without writing things that some may find disturbing/distressing.
Maybe have a "trigger" warning in titles?
The whole subject is going to be disturbing for some people - as is self harm and serious mental illness as a whole. Although you would think if you are someone who is sensitive to issues on suicide, you wouldn't choose to read a thread discussing suicide in the health section.
I know its hard to strike a balance but on occasion it has been a bit wrong IMO. I think when discussing such topics, its hard to explain or help people understand without writing things that some may find disturbing/distressing.
Maybe have a "trigger" warning in titles?
Ben Lowden said:
We are happy for members to discuss mental health here and encourage people to do so, however if we get reports about a thread being upsetting or distressing for some members, then unfortunately we may be forced to delete posts or remove an entire thread if necessary.
Equally, while PH can be an incredibly supportive environment it’s worth bearing in mind that most members are unlikely to be trained to deal with helping people in distress and for some members, we would recommend reaching out to someone like the Samaritans, as detailed here.
I can understand it must be a difficult tightrope to walk at times, so am not here to criticise.Equally, while PH can be an incredibly supportive environment it’s worth bearing in mind that most members are unlikely to be trained to deal with helping people in distress and for some members, we would recommend reaching out to someone like the Samaritans, as detailed here.
Although it's certainly fair to say most members aren't trained, even a quick Google of something like "what to say to a suicidal person" or "how to support someone with depression" will lend credence to the idea that it is far better to ask about it and talk about it if possible, whether trained or not.
At a most simplistic level, it shows you at least acknowledge and respect what the person says they are feeling and take them seriously, which in and of itself shows a degree of actual care which can be crucial.
Someone untrained isn't going to put the idea of suicide into someone's head, and unless there's deliberate malevolent intent (which you'd hope was unlikely) in my limited experience on the matter it is unlikely to be the straw that breaks the camel's back so to speak, if someone is suicidal they'll be racked with their own internal criticisms and will know all of the negatives intimately.
I was with (and for about 5 years lived with) a suicidal partner (including 4 unsuccessful attempts), and for a period of 18 months to 2 years was suicidal myself, at least to the extent that I contemplated it multiple times every single day, although never thought I'd have the balls to do it.
By being such a 'normal' environment and of course largely anonymous, PH could be a great lifeline for some people. I found the depression thread helpful, and countless others have for example.
Just a bit of a contribution to keep the thread active, if it wasn't obvious I of course support PH in bringing this up.
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