cross-posted from: https://reddthat.com/post/1360444

For context: One of the rules in that community is that you aren’t allowed to post anything related to suicide. In a mental health community.

  • amio@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    It does seem bad, but there are reasons why that rule is there. Anyone who is acutely suicidal needs urgent guidance and help, but places like Lemmy/FV or Reddit are not that kind of help. We are all inherently “randoms on the internet” with no (or no easily provable) credentials.

    People running and participating in these kinds of communities are volunteers and not trained in mental health. As such, they are not equipped to handle anyone acutely suicidal, and should definitely not try to - for whomever’s sake and their own. Pointing people towards any qualified help is about the best one can do. Any other advice is unqualified, and either offering, accepting or enabling any would be irresponsible.

    I suppose in a vulnerable state of mind, that itself can seem grim or dismissive, but it really isn’t. It’s a matter of protecting vulnerable people from potentially shitty advice which could endanger them. Mental health is serious, you wouldn’t go to Reddit or whatever with an acute heart attack, so don’t do it with an acute psychological crisis either.