With Facebook expanding the center of our social life, we increasingly encounter the same fraught issues that stymie us face-to-face.

Such seems to be the case of Simone Back, 42, found dead in her apartment in Brighton, England following her final message on the social network, posted at 10:53 p.m. on Christmas Day: "Took all my pills be dead soon bye bye everyone."

"While some Facebook friends from out of town begged online for her address and telephone number so they could get help, none of those who lived closer did anything to help," the U.K. Telegraph reports. "Several friends taunted the charity shop worker as she lay dying on the floor of her flat. Just minutes after the post a friend replied, 'She ODs all the time and she lies.'"

The discussion continued for 148 messages, but no one reached out to Back until her mother, Jennifer Langridge, phoned the police after receiving a text message about her daughter's message 17 hours after it was posted.

This tragedy occurs just as Facebook and the National Council of Suicide Prevention (NCSP) are working together to continue to refine their suicide prevention protocols and share best practices. A meeting with other major Internet tech companies is planned for the end of January to build a partnership in this effort.

"It's a really sad and regrettable thing and it is something we care deeply about," a Facebook spokesperson said in a phone interview. "That's why we're developing this partnership with other tech companies. We want to be on the cutting edge and work together to have the fastest and most effective possible response."

According to Dr. Dan Reidenberg, managing director of NCSP and executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, "Facebook is truly remarkable in its leadership in trying to help save lives in the online era. "

Facebook campaigned extensively in conjunction with NCSP last year for World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. The social network also provides suicide prevention resources and an active emergency alert system to report suicidal threats or statements.

Reports are received through a prioritized queue. Facebook alerts the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline which reaches out to the at-risk individual. Facebook historically works closely with law enforcement and has similar protocols in place for addressing other possible threats or crime found via the site, and assisting in the search for missing children.

Resources for suicide prevention and Facebook aren't two ideas we usually put together. Certainly, it's much easier — and headline grabbing — to make the inaccurate and irresponsible argument that Facebook is destroying social connections. Indeed, it's shocking that Simone Back had 1,082 Facebook friends, yet none aware of the status update made an active effort to help — shocking, but not unusual in any area of human interaction.

While Dr. Reidenberg contends that social media provides opportunity to identify and reach out to those at risk, he added that the tragic response to Simone Back's announcement is unfortunate, but common. Historically, such reactions used to be worse.

"We do find people today are more responsive and reactive, but it's still a far cry from where we need to be," he said in a phone interview. "Most of the time, people believe those at risk are trying to get attention or that they are being manipulative." Stepping up, asking the right questions, or knowing where to go for help is still not the norm.

"Most often people are too afraid to ask the question or don't know what to ask," Dr. Reidenberg said. Even if they want to ask another if he or she is considering suicide, they're afraid they won't know what to do if the answer is yes, he added.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/06/5779615-woman-announced-suicide-on-facebook-no-one-helped?GT1=43001

Another source:


A WOMAN with 1,048 Facebook friends announced on her page she had taken an overdose – but all they did was argue as she lay dying.

Desperate Simone Back, 42, posted her last message on Christmas Day, saying: “Took all my pills be dead soon bye bye everyone.”

Instead of rushing round to help her or calling 999, some friends began sniping at one another and mocked her in cruel messages on the social networking site.

One called her a liar and another said suicide was “her choice”.

Seventeen hours later, police found her dead. Her mother Jennifer Langridge called emergency services when she was texted about her daughter’s online suicide note.

She said: “I was sent a message saying, ‘get help’. I am disabled and can’t get up the stairs to Simone’s flat so I called the police. It is upsetting to think nobody did anything for my daughter.”

The shocking exchange of 148 messages on Simone’s Facebook page started just before 10pm on Christmas Day when she posted a status update saying she feared her girlfriend had been cheating.

Several friends wrote to send their support before an unseemly row broke out between about 25 people. Among all the mudslinging, her tragic final message was almost lost as she lay dying alone in her Brighton flat.

One friend wrote: “She ODs all the time and she lies.” Another Facebook user added: “She has a choice and taking pills over a relationship is not a good enough reason.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/01/06/woman-with-1-048-facebook-friends-announces-suicide-but-no-one-saves-her-115875-22828585/

Honestly 99.99999999999999999999999999999999% of people who write crap like that, are really just sitting in their room reading Poe and listening to Green Day. You really cant blame anyone for "not doing anything" considering that CLEARLY she's written something like that a dozen times before, ( "She OD's all the time and she lies.") And you especially cant blame facebook. They're not suicide watch, they're a social network.

Agreed.

If I saw one of my "friends" on facebook post something like that I'd probably just roll my eyes. I'm not close with most of the people I have added on there. I mean granted there are a few people I'd probably be like 'wtf' and be concerned over - but that's because I know them well and would know they'd never say something like that as a joke. But that's only like a quarter of my friends... if that.

There is someone new on Bloop who posted an entry talking about killing herself if her life doesn't get better in the next month. I honestly do not know what to do since I do not know the person and have no way of knowing if it is a fake, or a real person trying to get attention, or a real person seriously planning to kill themselves :o/ I offered the advice I could, but I didn't know what else to do, Bloop doesn't seem to have a "report a suicide threat" alert button....or does it? What should we do here if we see something like that? Anyone know?

@ ashalicious, you would have to contact a bloop staff member, they may be able to trace their IP to determine their home address

Ok thanks!

@ ashilicious, I mean obv it may not be successful, but at least you tried something, personally I would rather spend a few minutes doing it instead of ignoring in case they weren't serious

I agree, it's worth at least a few minutes! Honestly I would feel horrible if I did nothing knowing a person was threatening to take their own life, especially if they did go through with it! I raised a support ticket, I didn't know how else to contact the staff on this kind of matter. I am thinking I might look up some suicide hotlines and support and such and leave them in a comment for that person as well.

Raise an admin ticket. Steve/doc can trace the IP.

I did already thanks.

It's horrible but people DO say shit like that all the time and mean it maybe 1% of the time.

When the police get a phone call, they investigate. Every time. Even when they know it's a false report, or kids being stupid, or something like that, they still investigate, or at least stop by to be sure. People should take suicide threats the same way. This reminds me of the Kitty Genovese story. If you haven't heard about it, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese

All it takes is one person to reach out and call for help.

as terrible as this is, i've known someone like that. no one took him seriously either. everyone was sick of him threatening suicide. i didn't know him well, but we did speak on one occasion and i told him if he ever needed to talk i was always online. he didn't mention wanting to kill himself to me, he was just very sad and i knew about what had been going on. i take shit like that seriously. even if they don't end up doing it, i will try to talk them down or i'll call the police. he did end up killing himself, and everyone who knew about what he was going through felt like a right cunt. they will have that on their shoulders for the rest of their lives. even if they aren't serious, perhaps having police show up at their door will make them reconsider and realise there are people that care for them.

Even the people who aren't 100% serious still need the help. A lot of times when someone either attempts and fails, or makes a statement like that...they want to be saved more than they actually want to die. They want someone, anyone to prove to them that they really do have a life worth living and they really do have someone who cares about them (even if it's a stranger who doesn't know their situation). Depression is a very serious thing, and whether someone is constantly feeling that way or not, you have to take it seriously. If not because you think they'll really do it, then to at least show them they're not alone.

I don't care how many times someone has said they were going to do something or tried before and quit, you always contact someone. Cause there's two scenarios. You don't call, and they either live or die. You call, they live.

Odds are just better if you call, ya know?

Cause even if that person wasn't "seriously" considering suicide, they obviously need help and shouldn't be left to their ow devices.

Natural selection.

I definitely agree with Winged Centaur.

People can be so uncaring and crap, these days. I don't care WHO it was on my FB that would say that - if I didn't know where they lived, I'd sure as hell be trying to find out or get in contact with people that knew them or were closer to them to get them the help they need.

I work for the QPS and trust me, we get a call about something like that, we take it seriously, EVERY TIME. True, false, whatever. People matter.

How cold are some of you? One phone call could have saved a life.

I hope they feel really fucking bad. I really do.