Can we stop telling people through anonymous asks if we’re in danger or suicidal?
This will probably come across as harsh, and that’s not really what I want, but it’s just – there’s nothing that that person can do for you from the other end of a computer screen if you are actively in danger. Kind words, yes, that’s more than doable, encouragement yes, love even, this can be provided through an answer to an ask, but if you are in fact in danger in some way or perhaps going to take your life, you need to be contacting an emergency service, not someone you don’t know online through anonymous means. The person on the other end of the computer screen cannot keep you safe, and quite frankly it isn’t their responsibility. I am not a therapist, and I don’t actually know a blog about mental health that is run by a professional in the field instead of from a personal perspective. There are just so many reasons this is not a good safety plan, from what if the person you’re asking isn’t online, to the obvious that they have no way of actually calling emergency services for you. I see this happen on there all the time and it just creates an environment of stress because you may never know if that person made it, and you’re not a doctor or therapist, and it’s just – it’s a whole bucket of not good. So if you are actively in danger, please contact someone who can help you stay safe, or contact an emergency service – someone who knows you and can physically be present with you, or go to an emergency room.