Prevention vs Projection: When spreading awareness about suicide prevention, it’s important to be mindful about how your message may be received by others

The moment Sept. 1 hit and I opened my phone, I was bombarded with post after post about Suicide Prevention Month. As I tapped through various Instagram stories filled with affirmations, my smile grew. 

Seeing the positive awareness posts made from @suicideprevention.official reminded me how grateful I am to be growing up in a time where mental health is a prominent topic that healthcare providers and school systems are now prioritizing.

However, as the week progressed the posts on my feed shifted from supportive messages to graphic written accounts of suicide attempts. Instead of feeling the same warmth of community from earlier in the week, I was alarmed.

This year, social media posts supposedly “spreading awareness” have become increasingly graphic, causing more harm than help for those struggling or who have struggled with suicidal ideation. Spreading awareness should be based on positivity and recovery, and can be very helpful when done well. 

Unfortunately, as mental health awareness has become more common, so has trauma-dumping — the in-detail sharing of negative personal experiences with an expectation of receiving comfort without asking if the other person is able to be receptive. Undoubtedly, there is a time and place for sharing in-depth difficult stories, but the internet under the guise of suicide awarness isn’t the place for it. 

According to child psychologist Dr. Sally Pollock, accounts of self-harm and attempts or threats on someone’s own life are particularly triggering for individuals who have experienced or are working to cope with suicidal ideation. Graphic content is triggering and provides ideas for those planning to harm themselves. Even though these posts often do encourage getting help, they get their message across through discussing content that is extremely distressing.

These accounts are upsetting, even for those who haven’t struggled with mental health. They ultimately contradict the underlying goal of Suicide Prevention Month — to spread awareness and prevent what seems to be an exponential increase of deaths by suicide — a 37% increase from 2000-18.  These posts overshadow posts that are actually helpful by drawing attention away.

When inflammatory content spreads based on post interaction — positive or negative — it gets pushed to more viewers, which can mean younger and more sensitive viewers who wouldn’t typically see these posts based on their algorithm. This only perpetuates the harmfulness of the already-triggering topic. 

It should be noted that for those who don’t have the resources to meet with a professional, the Internet can be a fantastic tool filled with online sites, such as eTherapyPro, where individuals struggling with suicidal ideation or depressive symptoms can get help for significantly lowered prices. 

According to Pollock, it’s when people are using Instagram, Reddit or Snapchat to share graphic stories that sharing becomes harmful. When stories are being shared, without the individual actually seeking help, there’s minimal benefit for the creator but ample detriment to those receiving the information — it’s straight-up unhealthy. 

Suicide Prevention Month is meant to be a time for individuals to come together and form a community through self-improvement and mutual support. Helpful posts can include positive reminders or contain details for getting help. 

When people reference suicide with the intention of increased viewership, it reduces the attention given to real-life situations. Like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” when people share stories for views, it desensitizes people for when there’s a sincere risk of suicide. Suicide shouldn’t be used as a “hook” or for click bait.

That being said, it can be difficult to know when someone’s story is real-life or if the person simply craves attention. In our society and as empathetic human beings, it’s a reflex to believe the victim, or in this case the person struggling. 

While venting and sharing experiences is a form of recovery, it should be done in a way that doesn’t harm others.

To minimize that struggle, it’s more important for people to be aware of where they can receive help rather than leave their deepest secrets to the comments of strangers. By seeking professional help or utilizing resources available free-of-cost, posting graphic content on social media is needless. 

Let’s be aware of our impact and allow Suicide Prevention Month to remain a time of grieving those lost to suicide, supporting those who are struggling and celebrating those who coped through suicidal ideation to recovery.