It's #RUOKDay today, and while well-intentioned, it's one of the days that I personally am not a fan of
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The problem is that when I was depressed and suicidal, the last thing I would have wanted is for someone to ask whether I was ok Even worse if they were a colleague, or aquaintance Even worse if they kept asking when I shrugged it off
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When I was depressed, the most important thing in the world was that no one knew - stupid now that I think about it - and I would've fought tooth and claw not to let on
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It's also worth noting that, from a
#publichealth standpoint, getting everyone to make meaningless "how're you travelling?" platitudes is an ineffective means of suicide prevention1 reply 0 retweets 4 likesShow this thread -
It puts the onus entirely on the depressed person to make an effort and engage This rarely works
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The most effective means of suicide prevention tend to focus on limiting access to means, such as gun control or bridge fences
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Secondary to that is crisis help Both of these methods are based on the fact that most suicides are impulsive, rather than planned
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Many people have suicidal ideation, but the actual attempt is usually very impulsive. There's usually about a 10-minute danger zone where people actually attempt Past that, many don't, and never try again
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That is why means access is so important. If it takes more than 10 minutes to get a gun, or jump off a bridge, people's lives are saved
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Conversely, it's why asking people if they are ok is far less effective. Unless they are planning to commit suicide in the next quarter of an hour - in which case they are probably very obviously NOT ok - you might not be helping at all
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Anyway, this is my short rant for a day that is entirely well-intentioned, but in my opinion misguided A better option would be to increase funding for inpatient mental health and work on reducing access to some of the biggest means such as guns
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