What do you think of people who flaunt their depression online?

[Anonymous]

*Please don't report this, this does not reflect my current feelings or mental state*

Today on Facebook, a girl I know posted something saying "how she was going to kill herself" and "how she's so alone".
She even posted a video of her singing "I'm going to kill myself"
What do you make of this?
Can you even take someone like this seriously? Does this make people with real mental health issues taken less seriously?
I know from personal experience, when someone feels that way, they want no one to know.

[Kiwedin]

Personally, I haven't dealt with depression or feelings of suicide, but my mom has. We were talking about this before, because someone we knew had taken his own life, but he'd seemed completely fine. People who were close to him, knew he was struggling, but he was also getting help and telling people how much better he'd been feeling. It was when it seemed to everyone that he was improving that he took his life, which led us to discuss suicide and depression. Our discussion got pretty dark, but she said something like "Someone who truly wants to die, will never disclose their intentions to other people because they know someone will try to stop them. People who are open about their depression and suicidal thoughts are calling for help, they're definitely miserable, but they don't truly want to die." So I think you're right.

[kaylaS91]

Of course I take some people who do that, or 'flaunt their depression online', seriously.

Sure there are plenty who do it mostly to get attention, as seems to be a pretty common attraction to the use of social media sites in general, but some people are genuine about it. You say that you know 'from personal experience' that when someone genuinely feels depressed, they want no one to know. But what makes you feel like you're in a position to pass judgement on ALL people who are depressed, based off of a small sample size like yours?

I take it you've never heard of Amanda Todd, either...

[karahiri]

i think young people have the tendency to seek attention in really destructive ways. pretending to have a mental illness is one way they do this. it makes them feel special.

now if this person wasn't pretending, then perhaps it was a way to seek help. people express their illnesses differently. having said that, some of the truly mentally distressed people i have known have tried their hardest to hide it, not flaunt it.

[Sara413]

It's a cry for help. She may not be planning to really kill herself but she feels so uncared for that it's the only way she feels anyone will pay attention.

[raio81597]

I would say in my experience that if they really wanted to not kill themselves but wanted help for their emotional pain they tend to put it out there, either directly or indirectly. Those that do want to die for whatever reason they may leave a note telling why they did it. Whenever someone says they want to die take it seriously, often if they don't do it directly, they may engage in accidental behavior that leads to death or may neglect their health as to ot feel guilty about it. Shame is often a driving factor here and depression is a thought disorder that affects the emotions and the emotions are key to changing the depression or the low self esteem that has a co current depression with it that feeds of each other.

[raio81597]

Thank you for MHO!! :)

[poopedmypantsagain]

Sounds to me like she may be looking for sympathy, to get some sort of conversation going from someone.. but this is wrong to broadcast that online, saying you are going to do yourself harm.. and in my view rather then doing this.

She should either be giving her head a shake or going to see someone and start to get that way of thinking straightened out... and remember it is the net and a lot of people say a lot of things, some very stupid things.. just because they want to get noticed.. to some it is only talk.. nothing more

[LiveFreeorDieHard]

what with everyone say i. g they are lonely. like you are not special, you are not the first person. to feel like this. or scuicide, like is so short anyways, why not enjoy the ride while it lasts lol. it's called the human condition, we all feel lonely, scared, happy, accomplished, and everything in between. and oh by the way, the reason why these people do that is because they are reaching out. they probably feel like they are drowning in a sense so they type shit like that on Facebook hoping someone comes save them.

[Curmudgeon]

I wouldn't be so sure she isn't planning it. There was a good documentary film on this, "The Bridge", about selected bridge jumpers. And one guy kept on talking about it and talking about it until his friends stopped taking him seriously. Until he actually did it, and his suicide is caught on camera:

https://youtu.be/oNDtbEJfvM4

[ForSafety]

He was thinking weather if he should jump. Until he felt this dare in him. And at that point of time. to him it's rather a win-win situation. so yeah :3

[ForSafety]

And suicide isn't a bad thing.

[heavensgift2girls]

Maybe that is their way to seek help for their issue, or to see if anyone actually cares enough to stop them. I think they are flaunting it online, because they feel desperate to try and reach out to see if anyone actually cares. She sounds like she is in actual pain.

[thatboye]

Well I am a completely understanding dude, and I also cope with depression, so I would hope the other person would understand. I don't ever cry, or post I am lonely though, because I try my best to be positive around people, than negative. Makes me mad though, because the negativity always comes towards me and I hate it.

[Bandit74]

I know this is horrible but I kinda want to see the video of her singing "Im going to kill myself" 😅

Seriously tho, she is probably legitimately depressed and lonely. I dont doubt she thinks about suicide but I think she has something inside her that holds her back. Maybe fear, maybe hope, maybe both. As other have said, she probably want other people to pay attention to her and try to help.

[TripleAce]

You can't possibly make such conclusions. We have to assume its her unique way of expressing herself

[oreodair]

I tend to see that as someone who does not take the matter seriously because I know if I was thinking about taking my own life social media would be the last thing on my mind...

[Anonymous]

I don't hate on those people because attention seeking is also a disease and I still feel sorry for them.

I am depressed but I don't tell anyone. Sometimes with family things slip up but I never flat out tell people I'm depressed.

[ForSafety]

She just needs attention? Since she have already mention it and from my Experiences my ex-girlfriend's friend did something similar. My friend just told me she needs attention.

[ForSafety]

Just talk to her or something. And if she's feeling lonely tell her not to. I am too a loner :3 i have friends? i count them as classmates. and i have no friends but two. But that friend is as good as digitalized. I have family members who i feel uncomfortable with. I wanna leave home. But no where to go. I may be a loner but i am not lonely after what my friend told me. She said to create your own world and live in it. I created mine. Had dreams i never think of. It's amazing. and Nightmares would never turn out to be a bad one. But some kind of a good dream.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a cry for help/attention to me. People who are genuinely suicidal dont usually flaunt it they just do it...

[Asker]

this girl is a huge 'SJW'
I can't tell if anything she does is genuine or for attention anymore..

[NYkid27]

I think anyone who threatens to kill themselves just to get attention is a terrible person. It makes people who are actually suicidal less believable and can end up getting them killed

[OGarD]

Always take those kind of things seriously till proven otherwise. Social media is a quick and easy outlet for almost everything these days and most people are more comfortable talking bout things online than they are in person or on phone.

[Offthelist]

Some are fakes. Some are real. I don't know. I've been one of them so im kind of biased.

[Eugene]

I wouldn't take it seriously and would dismiss it as stupidity and desire for attention.
I don't think anyone with actual intentions to commit suicide would announce it to a whole world.

[hotstuffSRD]

Nowadays some people mostly introverts do this cause they don't have much friends
And i think suicide is the biggest bullshit ever 💁

[Waffles731]

It might have been a way of asking for help

[Asker]

keep in mind, this is a 23 year old woman.
but yeah maybe she doesn't know how to ask for help.

[apple24]

hahaha! No I do not. I just feel like that!

[orphan]

lot of mentally ill people around these parts.

[palek]

I'm saddened.

[palek]

; - )

[sparkly-crystal]

pathetic