Responding to someone who may be suicidal

You might find it helpful to have a plan in place about what to do if a person indicates that they are feeling distressed as a result of your 'post'.

For example, you could provide them with information about or a link to a support service such as a suicide prevention or counselling helpline.

If you include links to support services, they should be placed clearly at the beginning of your post and only include services that you know are reputable.

It can also be helpful to emphasise parts of your experience that demonstrate the importance of seeking help early and messages that reduce stigma and promote hope and recovery. Some examples include:

• The people, activities and actions that supported your recovery and how you coped.
• The positive experiences you had when seeking help.

Whether you are an occasional or frequent 'user' of 'social media', be aware that sometimes repeated exposure to negative content (e.g. conversations, images or videos about suicide) could impact upon your own wellbeing. It’s also possible that a one-off 'post' may trigger negative thoughts and feelings. It’s important to have a plan in place in case you do feel upset or troubled by posts that you have shared or seen.

If you are feeling upset or overwhelmed, there are a few things that you could try:

• Talking to someone about how you are feeling.
• Taking a break. This might include physically stepping away for a while, logging out of your social media accounts or engaging in a different activity that doesn’t involve social media.
• Taking control of the content that you see. For example, if you are going through a rough patch, you may want to minimise the amount of suicide-related content you are exposed to by hiding certain posts on your feed or unfollowing content that may cause you distress.