Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdeal000
It's not that bad you know. I had thoughts about it before (nothing serious) and I'm doing fine. Calm down...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdeal000
But the idea that even the slightest hint is a problem is an exaggeration IMO.
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The problem is that this is an Internet forum, and it's often difficult to detect meaning and context just from words alone. (I've lost count of the number of times people on AnimeSuki fail to realise I'm being sarcastic or facetious, for example.)
When it comes to talking about thoughts of suicide, I'd be very worried about how I should treat such comments. Is it just a passing thought that can be dispelled with pep talk? Or is it really a sign of something more serious that I should pay attention to?
The absolute last thing I would want to do is laugh away something that is eating away the affected person; he or she may be too caught up with his or her troubles to talk openly about them in a public forum.
I have experienced two cases where friends, relatives and I panicked over disturbing posts we saw online.
The first case was triggered by an online friend from MMORPG
Final Fantasy XI. We were close enough that we knew each other's real names and had communicated by voice. My guild mates and I knew for a while that she was going through a hard patch, and so we were badly alarmed when she suddenly said things that implied she was going to take her own life. We frantically tried to get in touch with her, and I went to the extent of calling her university's liaison officer.
The second case involved my own brother, who is known for his sudden temper and mood swings. A cousin called me one day to alert me about a Facebook post he made: "I'm so tired of it all. Goodbye everyone."
Yup, another series of frantic phone calls ensued.
Both cases turned out to be false alarms, but I echo
Hasumi's point: as outsiders, we won't know what's really going on unless we know you and talk to you
in person. A few stray words in a text forum can mean virtually anything. That being the case, I'd much rather err on the side of caution than to regret later that I did nothing when I could have.