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nomoretexasgovernorsforpresident asked: Thanks for posting Louise Tam's article, "From Risk to Harm..." I'm subscribed to Compassion Alerts where Tumblr users respond to posts that suggest that a user will commit suicide. According to this article, alerting the authorities may not be a good idea, as people may misinterpret the user's behavior and/or it may go on their criminal record. Do you have any suggestions for how we can balance helping those who may really need professional help vs. finding alternative approaches to help?
Thanks for writing, and for keeping an eye out for people who might need help. You ask a really good question, one that there’s not only one good answer to. In her article, Tam mentions that her support network is vital to her health, in that she can depend on them to hold the possibilities of different forms of coping and self-care than might be expected.
When reaching out for others online whom we often don’t know IRL, this can be really challenging. There is often no way to know for sure whether the person needs professional crisis intervention versus everyday support from other places. We at Emotion Technology tend to err on the side of reaching out to professional support, because these complications are preferable to that person’s death by suicide.
She points out some important macro level issues that need addressing, like profiling and negative stigma against those who might have been visited by authorities for mental health resources.
As for what you can do, keep reaching out, human to human, and follow your instincts. If you do end up reporting someone, follow up — don’t assume that the authorities will take care of everything and that’s that. Keep in touch when possible, and be part of that person’s support network in whatever way you can be, even if it’s just to tell them, “I care. I’ll check in again in a few days to see how you’re doing.” And then check in, as much as you need to.
Thanks again for reaching out and caring. The Internet needs more digital citizens like you!
Happy Friday! Dance Break!
"From Risk to Harm and from Harm to Suicide" by Louise Tam
However, a growing number of self-advocacy groups and allies assert that attention-seeking and attempted suicide are professional myths about self-harm… More importantly, he notes that people with experiences with self-harm identify strongly with the concept of survival. Activists such as Louise Pembroke have spoken about needing to self-injure to stay alive and survive the pain of sexual violence and institutionalization.
Solstice
It’s winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. How are you spending it?
(photo by Jennifer Gandin Le)
This has nothing to do with suicide prevention.
Or does it?
DJ Total Eclipse kills it in this video. And we love how much he’s enjoying himself. What’s something that makes you this happy? For me (Chris) it’s photography, although I’m nowhere near as skilled as this cat.
Powerful, emotionally raw video. (Trigger warning for discussion of cutting, bullying, and suicidal thoughts.)
What’s interesting about this video is the heated debate in the comments section about whether or not it’s “real.” Even if this young man hasn’t experienced this kind of bullying and self-doubt personally, there are thousands of other young people who have. Regardless of whether this video is “real,” this emotional pain is real for so many people.
As always, if you are concerned for someone’s safety online, check this link for ways to help. And add 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to your address book - the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7.
bserk:808dilly:peace-is-cheaper:
We need to hear more stories like this in the news:
Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.
But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.
He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
“He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, ‘Here you go,’” Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, “like what’s going on here?” Diaz says. “He asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
Diaz replied: “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me … hey, you’re more than welcome.
“You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help,” Diaz says.
Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.
“The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi,” Diaz says. “The kid was like, ‘You know everybody here. Do you own this place?’”
“No, I just eat here a lot,” Diaz says he told the teen. “He says, ‘But you’re even nice to the dishwasher.’”
Diaz replied, “Well, haven’t you been taught you should be nice to everybody?”
“Yea, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” the teen said.
Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. “He just had almost a sad face,” Diaz says.
The teen couldn’t answer Diaz — or he didn’t want to.
When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, “Look, I guess you’re going to have to pay for this bill ‘cause you have my money and I can’t pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.”
The teen “didn’t even think about it” and returned the wallet, Diaz says. “I gave him $20 … I figure maybe it’ll help him. I don’t know.”
Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen’s knife — “and he gave it to me.”
Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, “You’re the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch.”
“I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”
(Source: girlthrualookingglass, via reachoutusa)
(via imgTumble)Submitted by joostine
(Source: peppermintbee, via reachoutusa)
(Source: ninaaamarie, via reachoutusa)
Somedays it’s tough
Do you ever feel like it’s hard, being in a helping position? Even we have bad days. What do you do on when things feel kinda tough?
