Every once in a while I head over to Yahoo’s Answers to see what is going on in their mental health section. Normally the questions range from what mental illness do I have to what anti depressants won’t wake me fat to how do I stop self harm. The questions or rather responses that tend to get under my skin are those related to suicide.
The suicide questions tend to get a lot of responses and attention but in a good number of the posts people are basically encouraging the original poster to do so. Now I have been on the net long enough to know that there are a group of people who will state that they want to end their lives just to get the attention but what happens if the person who wrote the original thread was reaching out for the very last time in order to get the help and guidance to get through an extremely different period? Suicide is nothing to joke about and for the age group of ten to nineteen, which is the bracket most of the posters fall in to, it is the leading cause of death.
At one time the comments on this blog were left wide open but after I wrote a piece about suicide a number of people took the time to write that I should basically do myself a favor and just end my life. Of course all of the comments were from an anonymous user and I had a very strong feeling it was some teenager who is not smart enough to realize that karma is a bitch but it still made me switch over the comments to the moderated function that it is now for I was concerned that someone would leave a comment straight from their soul then have someone else follow with a completely inappropriate comment. I already carry too much luggage around and really do not want to add to it.
Internet courage seems to be the new problem of the day that is causing problems straight across the net. People making statements that they would never make in person but able to do so for they are protected by the computer screen and a anonymous handle.
I am going to wrap this up by saying to all of those people who think that leaving a smart ass comment is funny try to put yourself in the other persons shoes before responding. How would you feel if you or someone close to you opened their heart up online, for getting help in person is not an easy thing to do, then having someone basically reply that your life is meaningless and you should end it now. Yes I know that there are trolls out there just seeking attention and trying to stir up the pot but what happens when attention seeking is actually a cry for help that is played off by others? Like I said before karma is a bitch. Take care.
Related posts:
- Buddy You Have A Problem – Intervention Do’s and Dont’s
- National Suicide Prevention Week – Article
- CNN Article – Military Suicide
- Self Harm – Way too many scars
- Hidden Marks
- A Beef – Self Harm Pictures
- It Is Always A Choice
- Mental Health Stigma Equals Body Counts
- Some kids hurt themselves to feel better – Article
- A Letter To My Parents Regarding Self Harm
the reason most people use the go ahead and do it comment is not that they truly want the person to do it, maybe over the net they do some people are ignorant, but in real life, people use this too, its a type of reverse psychology, but what people don’t realize its not a good idea to temp someone in this fragile state… if your going to say go ahead and kill yourself, they might want to add, but please think about how your family will take this, how your friends will take this.
Also people that don’t have depression or suicidal thoughts, don’t know how we feel, maybe they feel superior somehow, maybe telling us to off ourselves is a way of getting rid of the bad genes and promoting the good ones…
I got news those people tho, most people that are depressed are good people, we don’t ask to feel how we feel, we are compassionate, and this probably only goes to further our depression, things we see in everyday life such as the comments people make just further depress us. Depression is not necessarily depression for ones self but maybe for the world as a whole.
@Ryan
“its a type of reverse psychology, “
I disagree strongly. I’ve seen these comments, I’ve been involved in these comments, and I’ve been caught up in many a flame-war. The person may not seriously want the original poster to commit the act, but they certainly aren’t using any level of intelligence to try to prevent them from doing it either. 90% of those kids (and they are predominently kids) are posting out of ignorance and reaction-provoking.
@Untreatable, I agree wholeheartedly with everything in your post. It’s a sad thing to see people act this way, and it’s not just online either (see my post “Castles in the Sand” for example). It seems people can only cope with their lives by making / imagining other people’s lives as miserable as possible.
Something we should remember tho, the people that do these things may well have serious issues of their own. I’m not saying they all do by any means, but there will be a select few in the crowd who do. Hmm…gives me an idea for a post
~Shiv
if you bothered to read my whole comment, u’d have seen i didn’t say all were trying reverse psychology but some do it, and the rest of my comment was for the other half the ones that mean it in a hateful way.
@Ryan, I did not mean to cause offense and if I seemed hostile I apologise, it was not my intention. I did read your whole comment and I agree that people who suffer from depression do seem to have bigger hearts on average.
I only meant to register my disagreement to your statement that most people who encourage people to take action after they have posted about their suicidal feelings on Yahoo answers do so out of a hidden benevolence. I truly believe from what I have seen on Yahoo and other similar sites that there is no good will hidden in the majority of the messages, but I happily concede that there will be *some* that are employing reverse psychology. Just more like a minority than the majority.
Let me also say that I talk from my own experience only, and do not claim or mean to imply that I am any kind of expert on the matter. Sadly my expertise lie in a different field entirely!
I hope this has helped to clear up any ill feeling, the greatest and most unfortunate irony would be for a flame war to start in the comments of Untreatable’s excellent post.
~Shiv
i mean no harm, i just truly thought you had read the first line and assumed the rest of my post was in the same… I wouldn’t start a flame war in general let alone in the comments of a rather intriguing post such at this. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page
cause from your comment i agreed and felt that my comment was around the same meaning as yours 
I agree with Shiv. People that would comment like that likely have some issues of their own. Even if it is a troll there is no sense in pushing the button on the chance that it IS someone actually reaching out. Places like Yahoo Answers and Craigslist probably aren’t the best venue for such things but I guess if you feel like you’ve got no where else to turn.
I dont know…
I can’t say that I relate as I’ve never been depressed for more than a day or two and have never seriously considered suicide. I’ve had friends/lovers/family members that I’ve talked in off the ledge. I’ve never used “go ahead and do it”. That feels dangerous to me. I dont know…I usually ask why they think that’s the “only” option, listen, try to convince them that everything is temporary, and tell them I’d miss them too much if they actually did it, and then I try to make them laugh…usually at me. I dont know if that’s the best way to handle these things but so far they’re all still with us. I’m worried about a couple…but…yeah…
I like to call it “keyboard courage” and it bothers me as well. Not just on comment pages, but in chat rooms or really any internet forum which allows for interactions. People will say things or act in a manner which they would never have the courage to say or do in person. While this can be helpful in some instances (like internet dating), it does have the potential to be harmful or fatal in the wrong hands.
In the past I have contemplated suicide. While I likely would not have reached out to the world wide community for affirmation or counseling, I can believe people desperate enough to consider ending their lives do make this connection. People need to realize the seriousness of their words and actions, not only in person but online as well.
To me it always goes back to treat others the same way you would want them to treat you.
When it comes to mental health I do not take chances and every statement about suicide needs to be taken seriously.
take care
“At one time the comments on this blog were left wide open but after I wrote a piece about suicide a number of people took the time to write that I should basically do myself a favor and just end my life.”
Wow, what a jerk.
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