Simone Back Facebook Suicide - How You Can Help...

There has been a Facebook suicide. Because of the tragedy, the social network has made a statement about what users should do if they see their friends talking about suicide. When Simone Back announced plans to commit suicide on Facebook, nobody reached out to her, and she had at least 1,000 friends. What would you do if a friend on Facebook talked about ending his or her life?

Facebook actually has something in place to help deal with this type of tragic issue on their website. They work hard to ensure the safety of their users, which is commendable. After Back's suicide, the website released a statement alerting users about what they should do if a Facebook friend ever seriously talks about ending it all.

If anybody you know on Facebook ever announces their suicide intentions, there are things you can do. Facebook works closely with Samaritans, and they have workers who will reach out to people who are feeling suicidal.Â You can report a Facebook suicide discussion at the website's help center.

It is terrible that Back was not able to get any help from anybody who kept up with her on Facebook. The 42-year-old woman actually killed herself on Christmas Day. Her Facebook status was "Took all my pills be dead soon bye bye everyone."

If you are ever in this type of situation be sure to reach out to your friend. If there isn't anything you can do personally report it to Facebook so that they can have somebody from the Samaritans contact the depressed person. Sometimes it just takes a little contact to help somebody out of this state of mind.

Comments: 6

Denise Spooner Jan 6, 2011, 3:02pm UTC

What a tragedy............... thank you for this info, I had no idea about facebook offering a connection to Samaritans. I am trained in suicide intervention myself, I wished I had of known this woman.

Rachel Dillin Jan 6, 2011, 3:10pm UTC

Denise, I'm glad the information is useful. I had no idea either, so this is helpful to many people.

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ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Jan 6, 2011, 4:02pm UTC

I heard of another one who also reached out to his FB friends, then went on a killing spree at his school yesterday, and ended it by taking his life. He was a 17 y/o son of a detective. Robert.. can't recall his last name.

ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Jan 6, 2011, 4:19pm UTC

Robert Butler, Jr. was the other suicide from yesterday.

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Chris Koulouris Jan 7, 2011, 9:54am UTC

Astonishingly, it’s (natural) normal in our digital age for us to divulge every detail of our daily lives on social mediums. Usually, we share with our ‘friends’ and ‘followers’ what we ate for breakfast, that Saturday night was the best night of our lives, or that someone’s a whore or a douchebag, and then allow them to comment at will— give us the thumbs up, cheer us on. But we rarely see what tragically happens in Simone’s case— when they decide to tear us down.

http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/01/simone-back-commits-suicide-on-facebook-despite-taunts/

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Denise Spooner Jan 8, 2011, 12:06am UTC

There is nothing in life more sorrowful than not intervening in someone's suicide attempt that they complete. :-( NO ONE really wants to die. They choose death to end their pain that they see they have no way out of but to take their own life, and breath. Oh my Lord, please make us all be true friends to those we befriend her eon facebook. Oh God please give us the courage, the sensitivity, the boldness, the wisdom and most of all the desire to save the life of one of our friend's or someone we cross paths here. Please........

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Simone Back Facebook Suicide - How You Can Help Prevent Future Deaths

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