[wp-forums] Dealing with suicidal threats

[esmi at quirm dot net]

on 03/02/2014 16:03 mrmist said the following:
> I would not deal with them on the forums. We are not trained counsellors.
> Generally when this thing happens elsewhere, I tend to refer people to a
> relevant helpline, or internet support site, of which there are many.

How about a standard response of:

<quote>
We take all threats of harm very seriously but we are not trained to 
counsel you. Please contact one of the the following resources for help 
as soon as possible:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
http://www.suicide.org
http://www.save.org
</quote>

[based on a standard response used by a large games company that my 
other half currently works for].

Might be worth adding to the Forum support handbook, yes? Something like 
this could be rather scary for a new mod if there's no one else around.

Though having read that post AND given that I am currently parenting 
Teenager No. 3, I would be personally tempted to reply with "Just please 
don't bleed on the carpet. The stains are real b*ggers to remove".

;-)

Mel "Cynical" P.
-- 
http://quirm.net
http://blackwidows.co.uk