originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:33 PM

How can the culture of using social media be used to a young person's advantage?

Social media has the ability to pass things on quickly, which will allow a young person to find help quickly as well. 

 

Is reaching out for help on social media and inherently bad thing? Why/why not?

Yes: 

- Seeking help can be misinterpretated (e.g. attention-seeking, blown out of proportion, emotion can be misinterpretated too - could be seen as sarcasm or some kind of dark humour)

- Privacy: Social media is social, so for the majority of sites - making connections or "friends" is a key component in being online. When a young person posts a status/note/image, it can be seen by everyone that they are connected to. With privacy settings, there are still a handful of people that can see. Depending on your personal tastes, those people may be people you know and trust or people that are anyone - if you're the kind of person who'll add anyone. There's the possiblity that what you post can be forwarded or sent to others, which can create a colossal problem - branching out to create others, which may not have anything to do with original one. (e.g. bullying) 

 

No: 

- It allows somebody, if not an audience, to help out. 

- More resources; makes it quicker to find them

 

 

Why could it be positive?

 

It broadens communication with others and others can bring great knowledge. It will allow people, particularly young people, to provide more resources and contacts to help. 

 

 

What do we need in place to make it a positive thing?

To show that it is ok, when utilised responsibly, through advertising, articles and logos that appeal to young people. 

And to appeal to young people, there has to be some kind of mystique but still making the message pretty clear. With social media such as FB and retweeted, posts/images can be reposted - hence, spreading the message. I didn't really want to bring this up, but it seems to be the only example that comes up in my mind, but the Kony2012 trend spread very quickly, despite the fact that a lot of yp had no idea what was going on. However, unlike, this trend, I think we would all like to aim for seeking help in social media is a positive thing permanent and engrained in young people's minds as long as we possibly can. 

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:31 PM

I'm not really sure what the "culture of using social media" is exactly, but having it accessible practically 24/7 is a powerful way to connect with people, and through them, potential help. If they don't receive the support they're seeking from friends, perhaps they can access it themselves through exploring sites like RO or using the KHL. R U OK Day is a great example of how the culture of SM can be used to express care. I hope that many people received messages from people who they didn't think had noticed.

 

I mentioned earlier that it is by no means inherently a bad thing to reach out for help via social media. All people have basic needs- the need to be safe, cared for, loved, supported etc. If a person is not receiving these things, it is entirely understandable that they will reach out to others for them. Social media might not be the best avenue, but at least it's an avenue. And through it, many people have received help (even if many others have not).

 

It could be positive because it can connect people with the help they need! But in order for that to work, more people need to become aware of what help is out there. I would love to see more people accessing sites like RO. Furthermore, it's important that YP feel that if they have a problem, they could benefit from getting help! Too many people think they're alone in their problems and that they can't turn to anyone. I dearly wish that all people became aware of how many services and people are out there who are willing to help if they only reached out.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:27 PM

Reaching out for help on SM is NOT an inherently bad thing, as it is a great way for people to find out about resources that might help them (e.g. RO.com, KHL, eheadspace). The yp needs to be aware though that SM is NOT a replacement for professional help and some things DO require the support of health professionals. Other yp on their sm accounts are generally not health professionals so they need to be realistic in recognizing that. 

 

It is a good place for yp to "test" the water and see how people react and it's somewhere that yp feel safe and secure to post what's happening for them - that should NOT be underestimated. But the bigger problem is working out how we can help yp get from looking for help on SM to accessing professional help outside of SM.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:04 PM

Assuming you were a young person reading a post that mentioned suicide on social media, what kind of action would you take?

Obviously, if I truly thought the person was in imminent danger, I would contact emergency services.. However, I'd assess the situation first, and see if there was anyone else I could contact to physically go and check on the person.. If not, and if I couldn't do so, I'd call an ambulance or the police for a welfare check, whichever I thought was more appropriate.
Throughout this, I'd stay in constant contact with the person, and tell them the extent of my concerns as I went through this process.Being honest is always important, unless it's definitely going to cause more harm than good.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:09 PM

Good point bluebird,
It's important that people know about welfare checks - but it is much harder if we don't know many personal details about the person!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:11 PM

Very true. If that was the case, I'd do my best to find it out, including asking the person themself.. letting them know that I was really worried and wanted to help... and that I could ask for the help for them, by calling ambo's or police... and I wouldn't just leave them then, I'd still be there to support them through whatever happened next, to the best of my ability.... and taking into account my own self care too!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:42 PM

I have to log out guYs - Christmas party in progress but thank you

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:45 PM

Thanks for participating Loz!!! Enjoy the xmas party!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:45 PM

Thanks for your thoughts @DarwinLoz!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:57 PM

 

Assuming you were a young person reading a post that mentioned suicide on social media, what kind of action would you take?

._. If I know you well, for example 5 years +, my actions may vary but I specifically cater for their needs and support them as much as they can. Someone close to me, whenever she felt that way, they'd talk to me on social media and then they'd always come over to my place at unexpected times during the day/night. I'd always let them in, of course, despite the protests of my parents. They were never a touchy-feely person, so hugs or a pat on the shoulder was completely off limits. Over this time, I had learnt that you don't have to necessarily say anything but simply be there for them, to know that you actually exist and that you're real. Different advice and solutions work for different people and personalities. If it was someone that I didn't know well, I would give contacts on who to seek advice/support/help from because I think that asking too-deep questions about their concerns is crossing boundaries. 

 

What kind of response would you expect from a social media channel?

Lack of interest, awkwardness, feeling uncomfortable, shock, surprise, silence

 

What do young people expect from processes put in place to deal with this? What should the extent of the mitigation/intervention be?’ (i.e. how far should the intervention go, should parents/police get involved, or should it stay online?)

 

From these processes, I think young people expect to get an idea on where to begin, to try and "arrange" these thoughts in categories or some kind of sequence to make sense of what's going on. In regards to intervention, I tend to live by and support this rule: If it's occurred in the past, don't. If it's being suggested it will happen, it has been shown to be a repeated action or it is evident that it is life-threatening, do it in the best interests of the individual. Of course, this could change depending on the situation. With intervention, I greatly frown upon the breach of privacy so if it is to be considered, think carefully. 

 

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:15 PM

I also wanted to mention that self-care is huge. I know that I have a tendency to take other people's problems on as my own, so I've recently started drawing a very firm line in the sand about the way I respond to someone's needs. I express genuine care, but I also don't let myself get sucked in. If a friend is suicidal, I don't feel that if they commit suicide, it's in any way my fault, or even necessarily my responsibility. My role is to be a friend, not a saviour. (And if not a friend, then an acquaintance, a supporter, a casual stranger or whatever my relationship with the person might be at the time.)

 

I just thought that was really important to share.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:20 PM

That's such an important point by Xin - we cannot all be each other's saviours. We need to be our own saviours. For sure we all need friends and families and caring strangers, but we have to be responsible for the direction of our own lives. That's the thing I find most concerning about the use of SM in this way - it sometimes feels that peope put their problems out to the world and have the expectation that someone else will make it go away. BUT I know that that's often not the intention. I do think SM has a place in help-seeking - we just need to ensure people know the appropriate avenues through which they can get the right help! (not a dismissive or invalidating comment like they'll often get on general SM sites)

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:26 PM

Question FOUR

Is reaching out for help on social media and inherently bad thing? Why/why not?

No. I totally agree with DarwinLoz earlier when she said that at least they are seeking help at all! It doesnt matter that it's social media, at least they are reaching out for support.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:31 PM

It's time to wrap up.

Ok everyone, we're going to wrap it up. We're going to close this forum shortly after 8.30pm.

 

You're the BEST!

Your thoughts and comments have been INCREDIBLY valuable. They're going to be used to inform the first Australian Roundtable on Young People, Suicide Prevention and Social Media, convened by the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre.

 

Stay in touch with the Roundtable

To hear about updates relating to the Roundtable and this consultation, you can subscribe to the Young and Well Network here: http://www.youngandwellcrc.org.au/network
We'll keep you up-to-date with developments - and can't wait to keep you in the loop!

 

Stay calm, safe and well

Moving forward, let's think about self-care. It might be a good idea to have a debrief with a friend tomorrow about tonight's conversation. If you're feeling upset, then it's definitely important to talk to a friend or family member now. If you're feeling distressed, just pick up the phone for an easy chat with someone at Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (up to 25 years old).

 

THANK YOU

Treat yourself to something nice tonight as a reward (and partly our thanks) for contributing to this discussion tonight - your thoughts really will make a difference!

 

PS. And an ENORMOUS thanks to mischiefmanaged for making sure we all take care of ourselves! You're a Wellbeing Master 😉

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:36 PM

Hey guys,

 

Thanks so much for all the amazing input!! And thanks dougsky for asking all the great questions!

 

Just before we finish up for tonight, I just wanted to make sure that you are all doing okay after the discussion. Tonight's discussion was full on so it's important that you do something nice for yourself now. Whether that's having a nice shower, drawing, writing, looking at cute animal pictures, calling a friend, or watching your fave tv show. It's important we all practice self-care now!

 

If you are particularly distressed please remember the helpines:

 

http://www.kidshelpline.com.au - 1800 551 800. Kids Help Line (KHL) are available 24/7 and are for anyone aged up to 25 years. They are free from most mobile phones too. They also offer online counselling at set times.

 

https://www.lifeline.org.au/Get-Help/Online-Services/crisis-chat - 13 11 14. Life Line (LL) avalable for any age 24/7. Also offer online counselling. They are also free from most carriers.

 

http://www.eheadspace.org.au - they offer online support for young people up to 25 years.

 

http://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ - 1300 659 467 - Suicide Call Back Service. If you are feeling suicidal or at risk of hurting yourself PLEASE give this service a call. It is the cost of a local call, but they are available 24/7 and are available for anyone of any age.

 

This discussion was fantastic, I learnt a lot and I'm sure you did too!!

 

One final cute pic for the night: http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2011/9/6/5d31b048-c5ff-41de-a959-5a56d5ef4e92.jpgn

in the hope it will make you all smile!!!

 

Thanks again for the great discussion and PLEASE make sure you take extra good care of yourself tonight.

 

You are all superstars!!! 😄

 

MM. 🙂

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:34 PM

Thanks very much for the great discussions everyone. I really learned a lot from your stories, perspectives and experiences. I hope that all that's been collated tonight makes a really positive impact in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks to Doug for co-facilitating, and to MM for the constant messages of support and the funny animal pictures. That's just awesome.

Peace out everybody!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:20 PM

I am super impressed that you guys mentioned self-care! It's really important part of helping other young people. And please don't forget to use self-care with this discussion too!

 

This chat has been amazing! Just a bit more to go. 🙂

 

I'm just going to post the numbers up again in case anyone needs them now, as we've obviously discussed some really full on stuff so far!

 

http://www.kidshelpline.com.au - 1800 551 800. Kids Help Line (KHL) are available 24/7 and are for anyone aged up to 25 years. They are free from most mobile phones too. They also offer online counselling at set times.

 

https://www.lifeline.org.au/Get-Help/Online-Services/crisis-chat - 13 11 14. Life Line (LL) avalable for any age 24/7. Also offer online counselling. They are also free from most carriers.

 

http://www.eheadspace.org.au - they offer online support for young people up to 25 years.

 

http://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/ - 1300 659 467 - Suicide Call Back Service. If you are feeling suicidal or at risk of hurting yourself PLEASE give this service a call. It is the cost of a local call, but they are available 24/7 and are available for anyone of any age.

 

Anddddd another cute pic for you! http://catpicsomg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CHEESE.jpg

 

MM.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:53 PM

Question THREE



What could be put in place to reduce the risk of young people talking about suicide on social media?
I think posts about topics like suicide and self harm are always going to happen.. I think it's more important to focus on the responses that are given, than to try and 'gatekeep' and stop it from happening.


Assuming you were a young person reading a post that mentioned suicide on social media, what kind of action would you take?

If I knew the person outside of social media, I would contact them via other means.. like message or call them.. or even fb chat them. I'd do it away from the original post, to take it out of the public arena. I think that helps let the person know that I actually really care about them, and really want to help them. I'd tell them they can speak openly and privately to me, if they needed/wanted to.


What kind of response would you expect from a social media channel?

I've learnt not to expect any response, because then I don't feel disappointed or 'unloved' when I see there's 0 comments, likes or replies.

In terms of the social media platform itself, I'd expect different things depending on where I posted. For example, I wouldn't expect anyone from facebook management or anything to respond to a worrying post... but I would expect someone to respond with a supportive message on the ReachOut forums because thats the kind of place it is..

What do young people expect from processes put in place to deal with this? What should the extent of the mitigation/intervention be?’ (i.e. how far should the intervention go, should parents/police get involved, or should it stay online?)

Ohhh gosh. This is a super hard one!! It's different depending on what head space you're in!
In terms of friends, I think that the more personal the post is to me, from that person, the more likely I am to take my response further. Eg, if it was a really good friend, and I had seen them a few days earlier and knew they werent doing well, then saw a post on fb or something that they were feeling even worse, I'd do more than if it was a distant aquaintance I'd never actually met in person.. Hope that makes sense!

As for organisations' responses, I expect them to be upfront with me. And I hope they would ALWAYS be unfront and transparent. If I know what they can/ can't do, or will/won't do, then I know what to expect from them, nothing more nothing less. Saves expectations being too high, causing disappointment etc.

I think transparency is the key, particularly with young people. If we know the boundaries upfront, we'll probably respond better. I know I would!


Sorry this is so long!

originally posted on 04-12-2012 7:48 PM

Better awareness of support options for people in the real world who need to talk to someone about something that is troubling them. If someone can get help for something, hopefully they can be supported there without it ending up on a medium as public as social media.

 

Personally, if I knew an adult/other suitable person in real life who would be able to help the person, I'd contact them using any available means. I've spoken to teachers a few times after seeing social media posts, and the teachers quickly got the person the apporiate support. If it warranted it, I would possibly call 000 if someones life was in immediate danger.

 

These people generally want help in my opinion. Social Media can provide a less confronting way of someone getting help as they dont need to speak to a person, but can get the same effect as speaking to a person by using social media.

 

When these posts occur, support should be given both on social media and discreetly in the real world (unless it's needed to tell parents to stop harm occuring). Keeping it online, while it would provide someone a lot of privacy, would hide their body language and other keys that could in this sort of situation give experts a bit more of an idea on what is really going on. Some way needs to be found IMO to give help discreetly in the real world after inital contact possibly on social media/the web.

originally posted on 04-12-2012 8:03 PM

What could be put in place to reduce the risk of young people talking about suicide on social media?

More awareness of other services yp can use! Like KHL, eHeadspace. If young people knew these services existed maybe they wouldn't post so readily on SM. But I also know things like queues on these services are problems too. I know people who post really disturbing things on SM while waiting in a queue to speak to a counsellor on KHL.

 

Assuming you were a young person reading a post that mentioned suicide on social media, what kind of action would you take?

It depends on the person - if they frequently posted similar things and it seems to be for attention, I would be less likely to respond on a personal level. I would post some numbers for them to contact but wouldn't go into too much detail with them. I would try and urge them to get help, regardless of who they are. If they were a good friend and someone who didn't do this often, I would try and speak to them and see what I can do to help. Whether that's providing them with appropriate distractions or calling somoene to be with them in person. I would make sure I check up on the person at a later date too.

My responses would probably be similar to how I would reply on these forums and I am very lucky in that I have training and know heaps of resources. But I would also encourage anyone to use services like RO.com or KHL or eHeadspace and access real life help if I feel it's necessary and would even offer to be there with them when they access f2f support or send supportive texts. 

 

What kind of response would you expect from a social media channel?

As in like facebook.com or twitter.com? I would want them to at least give the young person phone numbers and resources. But they are not counselling services. They need to provide the person with information though and maybe send it again 24 hours after as a reminder.

 

What do young people expect from processes put in place to deal with this? What should the extent of the mitigation/intervention be?’ (i.e. how far should the intervention go, should parents/police get involved, or should it stay online?)
I'm in two places with this. I think interventions need to be subtle. YP do need avenues to express themselves but they also need to be aware of the consequences of doing this. They need to be aware of the helplines and the consequences of their actions. It also depends on the age of the yp. If they are over 18, it should stay online (or go to the police if there is explicit detail and it's regularly occurring) but if they are under 18, it should go to the parents (if it's explicit and regularly occurring). If it's a one off, helplines should be given first and foremost and then see where it goes from there. We don't want yp to STOP using places like SM to express themselves (and not just with suicidal stuff but in general, if they have a problem the internet and SM are great places to go - as long as they know the SAFE places to go (e.g. RO.com)) and yp DO need some freedom on the Internet (which is why I object to parents having passwords to everything for yp, if my parents had my passwords at age 15 when I started using RO.com, I would never have got help for things that I went through because I wouldn't have had somewhere to post about them as I would ahve felt as though my freedom was being restricted.