Facebook added a new feature Wednesday, February 25, that is designed to help put suicide prevention information at users’ fingertips. When someone sees a post that they think may suggest the author is considering suicide, they can now click on a drop down menu and report it to Facebook.

The reporting activates a series of questions the user will respond to and gives options about how to talk to that friend about suicide and ways to seek out professional help. People can even report concerning posts anonymously.

If a user sees a post that concerns them, they will be able to click on the top right corner to report the post. Facebook will then ask why they want to report the post and they will click “I think it shouldn’t be on Facebook.” It will then ask what the person thinks is wrong with the post and they should choose the bottom option which says “Something else.” Users will then see an option to click that says “This displays someone harming themselves or planning to harm themselves.”

If the person clicks on that choice, Facebook will give a list of options to offer help or support to the friend, reach out to another friend or ask Facebook to look at the post. The hope is that reaching out in some way will help the person that may be struggling with suicidal thoughts and provide resources for those who care about them to be pro-active.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available around the clock from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Source: KING-TV