Question: I have a friend who has been acting a bit suicidal lately. She posts pictures and quotes about depression and suicide on social media. How should I reach out to her and help her?
Dear Teentalker,
Thank you for reaching out and sharing your concerns.
It is really nice of you to be so concerned about your friend and to share such a concern with Team Teentalk. You mentioned your friend posting comments and quotes related to depression and suicide online; there could be a variety of reasons for the same; either she is feeling low about something that has been going on in her life and is using social media as a platform to vent her frustration because talking about it for real or in person can be very painful or difficult.
Regardless of the reason, it is important to let your friend know that no matter what she is going through, SHE IS NOT ALONE and that you are there for her, Team Teentalk is there for her. A lot of times, people want to get away from their pain which sometimes gets unbearable, but even then, death by suicide is not the solution to the problem. Instead, figuring out the root cause of the problem and looking for practical solutions will help your friend to navigate through life and deal with difficulties that come along the way because the reality of life is that it is full of challenges!
Sometimes, people also go through phases where they might need some space and it is important to respect that as well! But constantly reassuring them that safe space to vent their feelings exists can be very comforting for a person who is experiencing distress.
Hope this helps, if you have any other queries do connect online for chat between 11 am-8 pm or drop us an offline message.
Regards,
Expert Teentalkindia