Members who are depressed/suicidal

So, let's say you had a member or two make a thread about being depressed, or one actually makes a thread about committing suicide - or acting suicidal. What do you do for these members? Do you keep your cool and help them out?

Personally, I've suffered from depression, being manic, and having suicidal thoughts and the things that helped me with this - is by talking it out with others, and having a support team there for me who help guide me back to A+ mode - meaning, depression sucks, but we can't let it hurt you.

So, in other words, if one of your members talks about depressed, and/or suicidal - what actions do you take? What do you do?

 

Well first of all I would say anyone who uses this thread will be suspended. With that I set the tone of this being a actual serious discussion. If the person is "faking" it then they'll quickly know what they got themselves into and will stop. If serious then we all have a mature and rationale discussion about the topic just like in any other topic.

 

I knew a person (online only) who successfully completed suicide. The person talked about it often and I never really replied. When I heard the news about him doing it, it really made me sad. As a person who is in to law enforcement, helping people through bad times is my NUMBER #1 mission in life and I feel that by not responding to this particular person, I kind of failed at that mission even though we were not really close. However, I have friends who I was close to and known all my life who decided the best route in life was to take their own life. I wonder to myself and still do if I could of did more to possibly change their mind.

Myself, I was once in a hole in life (teen years) where I considered it. In result, I had my stomach pumped due to a failed overdose. It was such a horrible event that I never attempted it again Nowadays, when I get stressed or depressed, I turn to my websites and forums because they cool me down

To answer the topic's question... while I am no medical or psych expert, I will still try to talk to the person and give them some attention (whether they are really depressed or not) just in hopes that I can change their mind. I am happy myself but I have every reason to be depressed... I grew up poor, in a home where I was raised rough and most of my meals came from a bar or gas station... However, once an adult, I quicker changed my life direction, got a decent job and now I am going for a PhD. I will be the send DR in my entire family and that gives me motivation to stay alive I try to use my experiences of having a bad past but uprising out of it to attempt to help others in a time when they are thinking the worst...

I only do it because I am human

 

I have a member of my site who is always claiming she wants to die/kill herself and does so for attention because she wants to manipulate the other members into doing ths or that. It's quite sickening.

I never want to ignore a cry for help, be it fake or real, so i do take the time to listen and give advice as b est ic an.