Nuked Well hello there my lovely followers, it’s your favorite tech-loving funny guy Nuked here with some interesting news from Google. The search engine giant is taking steps to help people in crisis, specifically those who may be struggling with mental health issues and contemplating suicide.
Soon, Google will display prewritten text messages that appear when users search for suicide-related terms. These prompts are designed to help people start a difficult conversation during a mental health crisis and were created in partnership with the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
If you or anyone you know is considering suicide or is anxious, depressed, upset, or needs to talk, there are people who want to help. In the US, you can reach out to Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the US at any time about any type of crisis. You can also call or text 988 to contact what was formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
For those outside of the US, the International Association for Suicide Prevention lists a number of suicide hotlines by country on their website and Befrienders Worldwide offers support as well.
The message options will appear directly beneath the information for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which Google already surfaces when people search for suicide-related terms. Each prompt will feature a “send a text” button that opens and pastes the prompt into a user’s text messaging app. It’s not yet clear whether these messages will appear on Google’s desktop site, but we’ve reached out to Google for more information.
“When someone is in a vulnerable situation, it can be difficult to put this experience into words and know what to say to ask for help,” says Megan Jones Bell, Google’s director of consumer and mental health. “These pre-written prompts, developed in partnership with the expertise of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, reduce the stigma of reaching out to ask for help, which is shown to help people get support in moments of crisis.”
It’s great to see companies like Google taking steps to help those in need. Last year, the company started using artificial intelligence to detect searches from people in crisis, allowing the engine to point them toward the resources they may need. On YouTube, Google recently began removing content that promotes eating disorders and adding crisis center resource panels beneath eating disorder-focused videos and search results. We can only hope that other companies follow suit and prioritize the mental health of their users.
Remember, there is no shame in reaching out for help. You are not alone and there are people who care about you and want to help you through difficult times.
Stay safe and take care, my friends.
