Social media is a powerful tool for helping people stay connected. It can also be a place for subtle cries for help. People sometimes take to social media with words or pictures signaling possible signs of distress. If you have a gut feeling someone is not okay it’s a good idea to check on them or find someone close to them who can. Here’s what to look out for:
Content:
- Pictures, snapchats, links, videos, comments, etc. including themes like feeling alone, hopeless, isolated
- Change of tone that is out of character
- Insomnia posts
- Incoherent posts
- Use of concerning hashtags
- Use of emojis like 😔😞😭🔪💔🔫👎🏼
Warning Signs Someone May Need Urgent Help:
Posts expressing:
- Suicide or wanting to die
- Intense and urgent emotional despair
- Rage or seeking revenge
- Saying goodbye or giving away personal possessions
- Glorifying or romanticizing death
How to Help:
If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911. It is important to notify the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for an officer trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency. If that’s not the case, here’s how to reach out:
- Have a private conversation with them.
- Avoid liking the posts or replying with an emoji, because they could be misunderstood by the person.
- Be specific about what concerned you.
- Develop a follow-up plan. Reach out to their family or loved ones.
- Offer to assist with connecting them to help. Here’s a list to start.
- Many social media sites have a process to report suicidal content and provide mental health resources for the person posting the message.
Avoid assuming that someone will probably reach out to them and just scroll past. This can lead to a digital-age “bystander effect” where due to the presence of others we dissolve personal responsibility in reaching out to someone in need of help.
Remember that it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Reaching out could mean the world to someone.
