Facebook can now detect its suicidal members

Mar 02, 2017 News

– Local Mental Health Specialist calls it ‘genius’

By Rehana Ahamad

The world has become so technologically advanced, that social media is now capable of saving lives. Facebook Incorporated has created an algorithm that is being used to flag messages and status updates that express suicidal thoughts.

Mental Health Specialist, Dr. Caitlin Vieira

This is currently being tested in the United States, but for a country like Guyana, which has the highest suicide rate in the world, this means hope. This is hope for persons contemplating taking their own lives, as well families and friends who would have to live with the guilt of overlooking suicidal social media postings as simply the product of a bad day or a mood swing.
Then one day, it becomes too late.
According to the BBC, Facebook has been offering advice to suicidal users for many years. However, it had previously relied on other users to highlight a troubling post by clicking on its ‘report’ button.
What is currently being tested is a pattern-recognition algorithm that has been fed examples of what to look for.
For example, a post about feeling sad or broken would immediately be flagged for attention. Similarly, comments such as “I’m worried about you”, or “are you okay” would be sent for prompt review to the network’s community operations team.
The BBC report went on to explain that once a person in trouble is detected, Facebook would move to have a qualified monitor contact the at-risk individual to offer advice and lend assistance.
Facebook ‘s Product Manager, Vanessa Callison-Burch was quoted by the BBC, as saying that while it is typically more effective for an at-risk person to be contacted by friends or family members, than by Facebook, it would not always be appropriate for the social media website to inform a relative.
“We’re sensitive to privacy and I think we don’t always know the personal dynamics between people and their friends in that way, so we’re trying to do something that offers support and options,” Callison-Burch said.
Meanwhile, local Mental Health Specialist, Dr. Caitlin Vieira, told this newspaper that provided the algorithm is accurate, it is a huge step forward in the right direction. “It is genius!” she exclaimed.
With Guyana having the highest suicide figures in the entire world, it stands most to gain, should this programme be rolled out globally.
“It would be our duty to contact Facebook, and educate on the help needed here,” Dr. Vieira said.
Facebook is used by persons all across the world, and officials did not say specifically if the company would be contacting professional help located in the countries that the at-risk person is found to be from. This, Vieira noted, would be the most effective thing to do.
“As a board member of the suicide Prevention helpline, it would be a great way to reach out. Currently, people need to reach out to us, and that isn’t happening as much as we like. So if there is a platform that allows us to reach out, it will definitely reduce the rate of suicide here,” the young professional highlighted.
She asserted however, that Facebook should not limit persons from expressing their feelings, since that itself is usually very therapeutic.
“It should not bombard the user with options of suicide prevention either, as that may have not even have been a person’s initial thought or plan. If they, however, send messages saying for example “If you feel you need someone to talk to” etc, it would be very beneficial and not presumptuous or leading,” Dr. Vieira added.
The Psychologist is also calling for Facebook to go even further to report those users who have been encouraging persons to commit suicide on the social website.
“I hope that they would then have to face criminal charges,” she added.
Nonetheless, Founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, also has a programme being rolled out to detect posts that seem to be promoting or linked to terrorists and terrorism.

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