CW: Why We Don't Discuss Suicide on Profiles

CONTENT WARNING: suicide, suicidal thoughts, death by suicide

Hi all 💙 This is a long-overdue forum post about why we don't discuss anything related to suicide on our profiles, with the exception of crisis support lines/resources or a statement that 7 Cups does not offer crisis support.

First and foremost, 7 Cups is not a crisis support website. Listeners are not trained to provide crisis support, as supporting someone in crisis is a very, very important and delicate responsibility, and it is not something we expect our volunteer listeners to carry on their shoulders. Even if a listener is personally trained to offer crisis support through their job or has received this training in the past, we do NOT, under any circumstances, offer that support on the site. Even if someone has the relevant training, we cannot provide the safety and resources that hotlines have, such as reaching out to emergency responders as needed or to call for a welfare check from the authorities. 7 Cups is an anonymous site, and we never ask our members for offsite information, which makes it even more important for us to direct our members to hotlines, such as this one.

With that being said, there has been an increase in the number of profiles being flagged or outreached for expressing a history of suicidal thoughts or attempts. As a result, I'd like to clarify the rules around these topics.

We should never mention the following:

• Past or present suicidal ideation

• Past or present suicidal thoughts

• Past or present attempts to commit suicide

• Offering crisis support, i.e. offering to support users experiencing the above

• Mentioning any type of personal history or experience with suicide

Anything relating to suicide, that is NOT simply a crisis support helpline/resource or a sentence stating that suicide is not a topic we discuss on 7 Cups, cannot be written in a bio.

These guidelines are not intended to demean or invalidate anyone who has experienced anything related to suicide, nor do they suggest that accessing crisis support is wrong. This post is simply meant to highlight that 7 Cups is not a crisis resource and that there are other resources and sites available for people who need this type of support. Please see more here.

There are a few reasons for this:

• Members may think we can offer crisis support.

• Users may become triggered by reading about it.

• It can be difficult to tell whether someone's statement refers to something in the past, something they are currently experiencing, or something that may indicate an immediate risk

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about these guidelines 💙