One of the few memes I’d be glad to see proliferate…

The following is copied in whole from a friend’s journal. I’m passing it on for obvious reasons, and I would suggest that you do the same. While a little long, I think you will understand why I didn’t place it behind a cut.

“Friday night, one of my LJ friends left a suicide note in his LJ and then attempted. Shortly after several of us found his note. I was one of the only people who knew him IRL, but he lives half way across the country and I couldn’t provide the police with info on his exact location. I happen to know jessical, a member of the LJ abuse team, and read a comment she made a few months back in a neutral friends journal saying to contact the abuse team in the event that someone leaves a suicide note since the team has access to a lot of info individuals may not. In the middle of sorting out the situation the other night with my LJ friend I suddenly remembered that comment and had a friend contact LJ abuse while a few of us gathered more info on the individual. In a matter of minutes LJ abuse had the police on my friends doorstep. they found him and brought him to the hospital. If it wasn’t for LJ abuse being able to quickly respond with their information who knows how the situation could have turned out…
None of my friends that night even knew that LJ abuse could handle a suicide note. and until then, it had never occurred to me to pass the info on. Saturday I made the following post in my LJ and I’m asking that you all pass it on in your own. You never know, this info could be the info that saves the life of your friend or another LJer. (feel free to copy and paste it or quote me or whatever)
__________
If you ever have a friend on your friends list threaten suicide or leave a suicide not in their LJ (public or friends only) contact the Livejournal Abuse Team immediately.
The Abuse Team does have more info on each LJer than most of us may have and can contact the users local police department and get them help a lot sooner than an LJ friend could if no one knows his real name or address… Abuse team handles these situations frequently.
jessical, a member of the LJ abuse team says: file a request with the LiveJournal Abuse Team with *all* IRL contact info you have”. Sometimes people forget to do that, and in suicide requests, seconds count. ( how the LJ abuse team responds )
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon that people leave suicide notes in their LJ, but very few LJers know to contact the Abuse team in the event that someone on their friends list leaves a suicide note… can you each take a minute today to post this info in your own LJ to spread the word throughout LJ as for how to handle this type of situation. like jessical said, “seconds count” and contacting LJ abuse for a friend is what may may save the life of someone on YOUR friends list.”

0 Comments +

  1. Having witnessed a few suicides in my life, I have come to the belief that every attempt should be made to stop them. If the person is truly determined, you won’t be able to save them from it indefinitely, but I’ve seen the violence inflicted on those left behind and now I feel that the person is not simply innocently acting on their own.

  2. That’s very true. Our perspectives are probabaly v different – my experience with suicide is PWAs who’ve made carefully-thought-out decisions and had discussions with friends & family etc.

  3. E-mailed or posted suicide notes are almost always a desperate cry for help. It’s akin to standing on a ledge or bridge and hoping that someone will notice and may be able to talk you out of what you feel in the only recourse.

    I have a large but not huge circle of friends and acquaintances, and suicide has already touched my life twice. I have to say far worse than any spam is opening up an e-mail from somebody I had chatted and corresponded with online, and reading a suicide note, and realizing I didn’t know the person’s address, or even last name. Thankfully, other people on that person’s e-mail address list did, and help got to him in time. He’s now happily partnered and employed again, and I’ve since gotten to meet him several times in Real Life.

    It’s worth noting that in both of these cases — and another one which involved institutionalization — what triggered the episode was the individuals stopped taking their medication, which results in far greater depression and delusions than what they were suffering from before starting the medication. Any drug of this sort should only be “stepped down” from under close supervision from a doctor.

    And better than drugs, in my estimation — at least for the acquaintance whose suicide attempt was thwarted — was his friends got him a puppy after he got out of the hospital and found a job. Pets (well, at least dogs) teach us the lesson of unconditional love — how to give as well as how to receive.

    Thanks for posting this, Nayland.

  4. I’ve had two experiences with suicide, both PWAs, one carefully thought out, and one committed in a bleak moment of despair. The effect of each was vastly different, of course. The act committed in desperation also left far messier remains for me to identify – subway train jumpers are never pretty.

  5. Having witnessed a few suicides in my life, I have come to the belief that every attempt should be made to stop them. If the person is truly determined, you won’t be able to save them from it indefinitely, but I’ve seen the violence inflicted on those left behind and now I feel that the person is not simply innocently acting on their own.

  6. In those cases I would completely agree with you, that the peerson is making a clear decision that is the result of reflection and communication with others.

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