It's a very nice thought Leo, to be able to help those in a desperate situation to find their way. It's true, we are not trained professionals in dealing with members who are suicidal. Also, mod/admin are volunteers here who have no set schedule or time frame of when they can be online.

PC, in and of itself has many help venues for those who are suicidal. We have a number of posts in the sticky threads in the Depression Forum for suicide resources. They are very easy to look up and are just a click away.

One of the reasons suicidal threads/posts are not allowed is because this is an online environment. We don't have access to phone numbers/addresses or members real names. The absolute best thing to do in this case is for the member to seek out help in real life, where someone can respond to you specifically and assess one's situation.

Another reason we don't allow them is because of how it makes members feel when they can't do anything but post to someone. What happens when there are posts/pm's going back and forth and the suicidal member decides to log off PC and not answer anymore? The member trying to assist them is left feeling horrible because they don't know where that member went, are they safe, are they calling 911 or maybe have they even decided just to go to bed.

It's best, if you see a post that you feel is a suicidal post, to report it to the support team. We will look into it and decide if it is indeed a threat or maybe it's ideation. We can also reach out with the support information to the member and help direct them to real life assistance. They all deserve it!

It's a very hard situation for everyone to go through.