Something that without out a doubt all of you have heard about. Most of you have accounts, and a good fifty percent are probably a little bit more addicted than you want to be. I know I am.  Every time you login on you see your friends, you see their status updates dealing with their moods, opinions or events in their life. And a lot of time you will see complaining.  People swearing they failed a test or that their boss hates them, or that some other compliant. Some of the time, people will go over the dramatic. They will say things like, I can’t stand this anymore! I wish I was gone! Or even make threats of suicide on their personal status. Because these are so common, no one takes them seriously anymore. So when things like the Simone Back case reaches the news, it reminds people that these threat could be vey real. I remember a time when a friend of mine had a status saying how she was going to kill herself with a reason stated after that I don’t quiet remember. I flipped out, I called a friend of mine that was closer to her. I asked him, can you talk to her? Make sure she is okay? And I rambled off some QPR at him hoping he was as concerned as I was. He responded with, no trust me she is okay she just wants attention. Dumb founded by such apathy, I started asking how he could be like that and nagged him into talking to her. Apparently, she said “Oh I was just feeling really upset and wanted comfort, I wouldn’t actually do it”.  This is a problem, and a big one. If we witness threats all the time on facebook, even if its from different people, we might freak out the first couple times we see them. But because this is so emotionally exhausting for people, and if the threatener never actually attempt to commit suicide or go through with the act, people stop caring. They start acting like the boy who cried wolf and ignoring the next personal status message indicating personal distress with intention to harm one’s self or even worse challenging the persons intentions ( you’re a liar, you would never actually do it, you just want attention etc). This is especially true of they see one particular person do it repeatedly.  They may even generalize this reaction to someone who has never created such a status in the past. It sucks. Don’t get me wrong, some people take it very seriously, and will attempt to contact every person on their facebook who threatening suicide. But it is exhausting to do so, its easier to call bullshit and hope that your right than it is to freak out every time it happens.  Sometimes though, people are in mental health crisis and need help. They use facebook to ask for it because it makes sense, it’s the largest gathering of friends in one place people have. Maybe someone can say the right thing, or call them at the right time to save them. Prove to them life is worth living… but instead they are met with silence or  sarcastic remarks.

The issue here is that people who post threatening suicide and don’t mean it seem to think as just an expression. Like” don’t have a cow, man”, they aren’t expecting that anyone take them seriously.  Or they are trying to seek attention from particular people and use facebook as a way to do it.  What they don’t realize is that they are helping reinforce stigma that people who threaten suicide are doing for attention or that it’s something that isn’t to be taken seriously. I think this is something people should considering when writing their next update. Are you really going to kill yourself if you fail that test? Or would the update I will be really upset if I don’t do well properly reflect how you will feel.  This will hopefully create a rep on facebook for you amongst your friends so if you need help that they will come running with support rather than ignoring you.

Cases like the Simone Back case (link) also teach people who are observers of this status to watch what they say. Don’t challenge or encourage these statements. If you truly believe the person isn’t serious, why not just say nothing? Why risk the chance of pushing someone over the edge just to rid yourself of frustration over these statuses? If you're not 100% sure they are joking, take the time to send them a quick message. Just ask if they are okay, and offer to talk. A few seconds to ensure someone’s safety is a small price to pay, if they even respond. They might really need you.  From experience, it really sucks to go back to someone facebook page after they have committed suicide and see the unanswered cries for help.

Just remember, claiming to want to commit suicide is a serious thing.. Don’t waste them on your frustrations with life unless you really mean it.  Think of it like inflation or people’s caring like dismissing barrel, each time you make a plea that isn’t a crisis you diminish the available resources a little more.  The chances they will be there for you when you really need them diminish a little more.  Your friends love you, and will help you no matter what. But it’s hard to motivate yourself to run quickly with water if someone has yelled fire numerous times in the past without one actually existing. You do matter, and life does get better. Trust me. And I know it can really suck and be frustrating sometimes. And your need to communicate that is human nature! Don’t get me wrong. It may just be better to communicate the whole situation than use messages that could be communicated incorrectly.

By Alicia

A message from mindyourmind:

• If you see suicidal content on facebook.com, you should contact law enforcement immediately and report it to a facebook administrator here.