Instead of difficult mental health threads being deleted...

[HappyCup]

Can’t they be deleted publicly but still visible for just the OP? (If they have to be deleted.)

Then the OP can still see all the helpful comments and not just have the rug pulled out from under them suddenly when they’re already struggling with thoughts of suicide?

Maybe being able to see a few people saying helpful things like “I’ve been where you are and here is what I did to get better...” will help? It’s a small chance but isn’t it worth it?

Maybe posters are concerned that they are giving advice which may be helping someone end their life

In that instance certainly it should be deleted! But I’ve never seen this, have you?

I've just noticed a thread deleted with this message:

"Hi OP, We're sorry, but we don't allow threads like this on Mumsnet. Please contact the Samaritans, by emailing [email protected] or calling 116 123. You can also see the resources in our www.mumsnet.com/i/mental-health-webguide"

What, so MN no longer allows threads by people who are feeling low? Not everyone on this site is a parent, but a lot of people post when they need support. Mildly horrified.

Deleting threads by people with poor mental health is only going to make them feel more isolated. This feels cruel.

If there was a Will question for example, maybe some posters wouldnt pick up on the clues and would give genuine advice about writing a will or getting neighbours involved as witnesses not realising poster was suicidal. That could make some people feel very uncomfortable.

Plus maybe there is a chance that poster would get PMs which might not help their mental state

From what I remember, this was actually the advice given by the Samaritans (I think it was them) when MNHQ asked them for advice.

I would imagine MNHQ has protocols they follow that are best practice for this situation.

This has been debated long and hard in the past. SoupDragon is correct - Mumsnet took advice on what to do with such threads and are evidently continuing to act on that advice.

I totally understand that there will be a policy, informed by people like the Samaritans. I remember this being discussed in the past. But that doesn’t mean the policy can’t be reviewed and adjusted.

I can see why the threads have to be deleted, but I disagree with taking potentially valuable support away from people who are at risk. There must be a better way to manage it.

An auto message from MN saying ‘contact the Samaritans’ when the OP has specifically said in her posts that she found the Samaritans to be unhelpful would be kick to someone who is already on the floor.

It is very difficult. I know the post you're talking about, and would hope that MN are messaging the OP behind the scenes.

This was discussed at length in the past and as PP said, OP took advice from the Samaritans.

With the best will in the world, MN is not the kind of support platform people should go to if they’re contemplating ending their life. There are dedicated mental health resources for that.

And posters need to move away from this idea that MN may be someone’s only source of support and that without it posters are being put in danger. The reality is that so many of these types of threads will be preventing posters from seeking genuine MH advice, added to which, none of us are qualified to deal with someone who is suicidal, and it’s unfair to suggest that MN’ers need to be responsible for what they say in case they say the wrong thing, which is so easily done in those situations.

Also, someone posting their cusicide intentions could well be triggering to others who are in a similarly fragile state.

*mn took advice from the samaritans

@AlternativePerspective again, I’m aware this has been discussed before. I agree that the posts should be deleted, that MN is not a place to come to for mental health support. But a policy can be reviewed and tweaked very slightly. Why not delete the threads for the general public but keep them accessible for the OP?

That way there isn’t a sudden feeling of awfulness and they can also still read through the signposting advice.

The latest thread was the OP wanting to urgently know about wills and letters of intent.

I replied, as the OP' original post gave no clue there was any suicidal intent.

Even the mentally ill can be disingenously manipulative.

I believe that MN do email the poster with details of organisations they can contact.

That is literally all that is required.

I do think that type of thread should be deleted, and MN have (as other posters have said) taken advice on this before coming up with their policy. MN is not the place to come for support at that time, posters are not qualified to give the appropriate help that the OP needs. I appreciate that mental health services are not always as easy to access as we'd like, but there are times when only the professionals should be dealing with someone to ensure they get the right help for them - and what is right for one person may be different from what helped a poster.

I am not sure how easy it is to keep a thread visible for one user only.

I dont know if they are being manipulative but had the intent been written in the opening post then the responses would have been very different.

Do wish they point somewhere other than samaratins.who can't/wont actually stop or persuade against suicide and will actually sit with u as you do it," with the offer to talk."

I expect they do, the Samaritans have helped a lot of people..

When the choice is a bunch of self-regulating vipers on the internet and no one, sometimes even the vipers are the better choice.

The Samaritans are not an advice service. If someone is suicidal, they won't talk them out of it. They'll listen, and they'll even listen to them dying and not intervene unless the person suddenly changes their mind. The Samaritans are great, but they're not for everyone.

The helplines that are advice services are harder to access.

I think like the begging threads, it would make sense for MN to jump with a general post signposting the OP to helpful links, but not to close the thread unless it was apparent the thread was not helping the OP.

The issue is from people that are In crisis and genuinely with nowhere to turn.
A&E sent them home, the nurse will ring tomorrow, that service discharged them, the other can't help,they're waiting for a referral, the meds are being reviewed, Samaritan's aren't answering and so on.

There might be help,there might not but they just need to make it through the night/day/week.

Ideally, yes people suffering from mental health issues should get timely,appropriate and adequate help and support from trained and qualified professionals. We all know that is not happening for quite a lot of people no matter how bad their situation is.

Good morning. Just popping in to thank you for your thoughts on this, and let you know it's something we've raised for discussion at HQ. We hope to be able to give you some feedback soon.

Thanks so much for the update @KimMumsnet Much appreciated!