Google will show automatic help messages for people seeking self-harm

Google will display auto-typed text in its results to help users in mental health crises start a conversation for help, especially when searching for terms related to suicide.

The technology giant has stressed that searches for mental health crises “continue to increase year after year”, also, it has pointed out that “often” people turn to Google searches in some of their “most vulnerable” moments.

In this sense, the company has indicated that it works to offer new ways to help people in situations of this type of crisis, since they need “easy access to resources that connect them to the help they need and the support of the people in their lives”.

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For all these reasons, Google has announced that it will begin to automatically enter texts written in the search results, when users consult terms related to suicide.

As the company has detailed in a statement on its blog, these texts will show the start of a conversation to ask for help, thus providing the vulnerable person with the necessary words to contact their support people in a crisis situation.

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This function, according to Google, tries to facilitate communication in vulnerable situations since “it is difficult to put words on these experiences and know what to say to ask for help”. To do this, the texts have been developed together with the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and are designed to reduce the stigma that asking for help can entail.

Also, for even easier communication, these conversation starters can be sent directly to contacts via text message. In the case of users in the United States, these texts will appear under the suicide line 988 and ‘Crisis Lifeline’, which also appears in the search results in these crisis situations.

In addition to all this, Google has recalled that it also supports organizations that provide health resources. In this sense, he has indicated that he is expanding his work with mental health organizations, “especially” those focused on children and veterans, for example Child Mind Institute.

Source: Elcomercio

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