Am I cynical to have fully expected that op who said they would be gone tonight would be posting hours later? I mean, most of the folk there shit on Etika for exactly that. They are creating an environment which sends people into spirals which feed these thoughts, then all want to be stepping in to be seen to 'help'. Treat the cause not the symptom.......and the people who set the tone for the site, the moderators like that asshole up above and the 'protected posters' that are above reprieve. But as always, locked thread, no reflection blah blah blah
I mean, of course.
There are 2 problems at work there.
First is that doing something like that on an anonymous forum is a consequence free way to cry for help.
Second is that the community there almost rewards people for declaring mental illness or suicidal thoughts etc.
For me, I can tell you that if I were to message someone close to me (siblings, parents, wife or closest friends) and said I was going to end it all? I would 100% get immediate help and support but there would also be some very impactful fallout from something like that.
Now, I get that plenty of people do not have anyone and that this can make existing issues even worse. So going to "the internet" might be all that someone has. Why this community though? There's lots of other places where real and useful help and advice can be gotten. Best case you are just going to get "don't do it, call this number".
It's a cry for help. It's also quite a calculated cry for help. Not serious enough to impact real life but just enough to get people's attention and a wee bit of a pep-talk.
I saw a segment on the news a while back where suicide was being discussed and they had some celeb on there saying "don't be afraid to speak up and share your experiences" etc. It made me think that this is actually maybe not a good idea.
In a sense by broadcasting this message you have people using social media as a way to out-compete each other in a "I've got mental health issues" contest.
You can get a pat on the back for "talking about it" at worst but at best you can go viral and everyone holds you up as the shining example.
It occurred to me though that deep down probably not much changes. You know that these people aren't professionals and you know that they are also strangers who wouldn't care that much if you were just gone. I mean, they are strangers.
Better to not broadcast your "mental health issues" to the world or your 500 followers or whatever. Better to find a good friend and just confide in them privately.
Of course there is no reward for doing that.
ResetEra is the kind of environment where declaring a mental health issue is seen almost as a route to avoid the heavy burden of privilege.
I could accept Trump is President and just get on with life but I've got a mental health issue so reeeeeeeeee.
Then of course there is the issue of declaring oneself suicidal and getting no traction but another user does the same and gets all the attention. This is likely to lead to all kinds of counter-productive thoughts.
Better to have a stock reply with some tips, resources and general help. Admin post that reply. Lock the thread and then hope for the best.
There is something darkly humorous about seeing a goofy avatar or whimsical username basically saying "I want to kill myself".
EviLore
www.resetera.com
