Apps don’t provide reliable help for suicide prevention
Reported today on The Verge
For the full article visit: https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/30/21035816/suicide-prevention-apps-reliable-help-crisis-hotline-support
Reported today in The Verge.
Apps don't provide reliable help for suicide prevention
A handful of depression management and suicide prevention apps - downloaded millions of times - included incorrect or nonfunctional contact information for suicide crisis help lines, according to a new analysis. While apps can offer people with suicidal thoughts or behaviors an important lifeline, experts are worried that many of the apps available on the Apple App Store or Google Play may not be following best practices, or connecting people with appropriate resources.
Depression management and suicide prevention apps can fill an important role: many people feel more comfortable looking for information or seeking help online, and report that it's easier to ask questions and share problems online rather than speaking with a person face to face. But that makes it even more important that the digital tools people turn to are up to the highest standards for prevention.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help:
In the US:
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741741 from anywhere in the USA, at any time, about any type of crisis | http://www.crisistextline.org/
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 | http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
The Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386 | http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Outside the US:
The International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country. Click here to find them.
Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/need-to-talk
"Not only could there be nothing useful about them, in fact, they could be harmful," says Igor Galynker, director of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Suicide Research and Preventio