An application in the UK can get people to save a Facebook friend from suicide. We check with the experts to find out what you can do instead, and when it's the right time to hit the panic button
An application in the UK can get people to save a Facebook friend from suicide. We check with the experts to find out what you can do instead, and when it's the right time to hit the panic button
At 10.53 pm on Christmas Day, last year, a depressed charity worker living in Brighton, UK posted a cry for help on her Facebook page that went ignored. It would be her last post: 'Took all my pills be dead soon so bye bye every one.' 
Not a single one of Simone Beck's 1,082 Facebook 'friends' took her distress call seriously. Instead, one responded to the post calling her a 'liar' who 'ODs all the time'. Another wrote to admonish her saying that she is 'not a kid anymore'.
Simone's body was found the following day, after someone finally called the police.Taking serious note of
the incident, Facebook, in association with the UK-based 24-hour emotional support service Samaritans has introduced a system where any user who thinks his/ her friend requires their services can get help.
The procedure involves filling in an online form to put the person in distress in touch with a counsellor or the police, depending upon the gravity of the situation.
Not yet in India
The service, as of now, is only available for those in the UK and Ireland. Clinical psychologist and counsellor Varkha Chulani feels that Indians too could benefit from the application, but has her reservations. "Since social networking sites don't encourage strong bonds between people who are acquaintances, I'mu00a0skeptical about people taking recourse to it," says Chulani.
Psychologist Payal Dagli however believes that the onus should lie with the individual. "Since Facebook is so intertwined with our lives, we often have people posting intimate matters online. Posting a suicide note might often be just a way to get attention, but sometimes the person could go through with the plan."
Chulani agrees that while reasons for posting could range from exhibitionism ("they wear their emotions on their sleeve") and attention-seeking behaviour to empathy-grabbing ("portraying yourself as a person who always needs help"), a genuine distress call might also crop up.
"It's best to follow up with a message, a phone call and, if possible, a visit to the person," she says. "Suicide is often an impulsive act, as a result of anxiety and/ or momentary panic. In some cases, it's best to call someone who could be around or reach the person the quickest."
Tell-tale signs to watch out for
*u00a0Posting several sad/ crying smileys over a sustained period
* Self-deprecatory messages; for eg: 'I am such a loser'
* Messages about how life is not worth living
* Suicide threats
* Messages about self-harm
* Refusal to be 'social' or to meet in the real world
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