So browsing Tumblr I came across a suicide note written by a girl today. I messaged her kind words and hoped it wasn't too late (haven't heard back). Then I clicked on the tag 'suicide' and every minute there are more and more posts, mostly from teenaged girls, getting bullied and threatening to kill themselves.

Some posts are very detailed and graphic, many feature suicide notes, many have pictures of their means of suicide, there are many very graphic and bloody pictures of deep cutting...

I've been messaging every person who makes a disturbing post over the last hour as many kind words as I can and a few girls replied saying they were glad I messaged them and it did make them feel a little better. However one girl said thank you for the kind words but I'm only trying to delay the inevitable and she's killing herself tonight.

Some may be a cry for attention, but I do believe that if just ONE of these posts is real, it's a life worth saving.

However, Tumblr limits the amount of Asks you can do in an hour (a way of asking a blogger a question, the only means of messaging them) and I've hit this limit.

Now I can't help anyone for the next hour. I emailed Tumblr about expanding my ask limit in order to help people but haven't heard back.

Here's a link to the suicide tag on Tumblr. It's quite disturbing.

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/suicide

I've also contacted various Suicide foundations to see if they monitor and reach out to people on Tumblr, but the more help the better.

Please, help say some nice words to people being bullied. Even if it's them bullying themselves.

I...have no words.

I say, just let it run its course. I already have been in a situation in the past where a suicide is prone to happen, yet lo and behold, we are helpless and don't know what to do

Seriously?


I hugely admire your taking action instead of observing from the sidelines.

I will definitely check it out and do what I can to help.

You can beat yourself up over it or accept that their lives are not your responsibility. Lots of people die, lots of people kill themselves, lots of people you've never met and never will no matter how far you roam the planet.

You're just adding problems to your own life.

If I believed that I wouldn't be doing what I do for a living.

I worded that wrong. What I meant was do what you can and see what happens.

Worst comes to worse, you can always notify the authorities and they will look into it. Suicide is a serious issue and should be looked into.

Definitely something to go into with your eyes open. I've spent a lot of time trying to help someone in this position and it can be extremely draining.

You can't save everyone. Not that what you're doing isn't good, but for most of these cases there is literally nothing you can do.

Besides, as you already mentioned, most of these threats to commit suicide are just attention grabs. One of my sisters pulled that move last year, in fact. She "cut her wrists" (lightly scratched them) just enough to be taken to the hospital and ruin everyone's day. Of course she never really wanted to die, and in the fact over the past year she's changed to the point that she is genuinely remorseful for pulling that stunt.

I had a friend who did the same thing on Facebook. Even posting confessions then saying he is looking forward to the day he commits it (It went something like "Tbh, I am looking forward to it ")

I still see him comment on other posts so I assume he backed out.

Some of the pictures people are posting show their wrists nearly cut in half with a butcher knife. I'm pretty sure the one kid who posted a bloody picture of his wrist cut with a butcher knife is probably on his way to being dead by now. It was very, very gruesome. I couldn't message him though, I hit the limit.

If he's already cut his wrist in half then there is definitely nothing you can do.

Really, your level of sympathy is genuinely admirable but in cases like these, I honestly believe it's better to turn away and spend your time doing things that you know will have an impact, rather than worrying over something you really have no control over.

Besides, if you look at it another way you could even argue that if you give them attention, you are actually encouraging them to move along with their big scare by indirectly convincing them that something really is wrong with them or their life. "My life is so messed up I had to take advice from some stranger on the internet just to prevent myself from committing suicide! Screw everyone, I hate the world!"

I understand.

It's the internet how do I know that this isn't a scam?

You really just never know. Out of all the people in the link OP gave, Some may be trolls, some maybe real, or all are trolls, all are real.

It doesn't hurt to check. Better safe than sorry.

Don't burn out airman.. like already stated, you're no use to anyone if there's no 'you' left.


What you're doing is commendable, and you should take something from that, but you'll go down as soon as you think you can / need to save all.

people. die. every. day.

Some of those in your link are meant to die today, and some are meant to be saved by your actions. Don't get overwhelmed by what you can't do, because you're doing the right thing

I sadly don't really see how much one can do via tumblr for someone who is suicidal if their family and counsellers haven't already stepped in to help.

That said, it is a commendable effort on your part.

It's very sad, yes. Utterly unacceptable to be bullied to that point of course, but there's hardly anything we can do over the internet.

I mean, yes we can send them messages trying to help them, but what they need is a friend, family, or professional to help them.


I do praise you for being helpful of course, as getting a kind message can go a long way

Maybe it wont help, but maybe it will. Trying and failing certainly beats not trying.

Some messages I've received back:

Thank you, that’s very kind of you.

yes i am….scarred ugly and unwanted…

thank you<3 most people do have a purpose but i really dont,im not needed by anybody and my parents and family constantly unload me places cause they cant decide where i should stay that night,im not beautiful :/ if i was things might be better,i dont think theres anything you could do to help me but thank you so much <3

Suicide is a very permanent solution to a usually temporary problem, some people who have maybe found themselves in trouble financially, maybe lost a loved one or otherwise, these people can be helped by their family or even complete strangers on the Internet simply by listening to them and showing a little humanity, it is a very noble thing what you are trying to do.

The only way this fails is if it puts you in a basket at the same time.

take care, airman.

Form an organization. Find like-minded individuals to go off to Twitter and help talk to these people.

Because you can't do it all yourself. Also, be prepared to lose, when you do.

EDIT - I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but I can't tell if I do or not.

This, and try not getting to attached to people- By this i mean try not responding to too many messages. People will get some crazy thoughts in depression-state "Meet me, you are such a help!" Etc, etc, etc.

It's a noble cause, and I'd certainly help, but I don't see a single person like you described in the OP. They're all just sort of "Meh, I'm bored, suicide sounds fun." right now. Just usual hormonal teenage girl PMSing. If I find one that seems borderline serious, I'll be on it.

unfortunately, due to tumblr being an online blog, it is more likely you are messaging people who only seek attention, more so if they wrote their suicide note and are still around to read replies.

and since we're on the topic, one poster i've read about suicide has stuck to me more than any other...