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Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

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Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#151

Post by jsmeaton »

itistoday2 wrote: post #142
jsmeaton wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm sure the person you're referring to did not have that opinion a few moments before pulling the trigger, otherwise he wouldn't have done it But I think that's exactly where suicide and euthanasia are different, where you claim they are synonyms. Euthanasia is for people that are suffering, in pain, and cannot get better . Suicide, in the context of depression and other mental illnesses, is for people that are su…

> But I think that's exactly where suicide and euthanasia are different, where you claim they are synonyms. Euthanasia is for people that are suffering, in pain, and cannot get better. Suicide, in the context of depression and other mental illnesses, is for people that are suffering, in pain, and can get better. I'm sorry, but where did you find the Guidebook To Life that lays out the precise rules of what is and isn…

I feel we're approaching this topic in very different directions. Let me rephrase both arguments, and let me know if I've rephrased correctly or not.

Your point is; how can you call suicide a bad or evil thing if it relieves pain and suffering in exactly the same way that the traditional definition of euthanasia does.

My point is; suicide prevention isn't just about demonising suicide, the act, but about helping people not get to the point where they feel/know that suicide is the only option.

Suicide/euthanasia is a tragedy. It means that we, as a society, have failed someone. Whether that is an inability to cure cancer, or cure depression.

I'm not qualified or experienced enough to really comment on the rest, so I'll leave it at that.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#153

Post by aestra »

flippmoke wrote: post #145
aestra wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would recommend Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) over CBT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy As I understand it DBT is better at validation of emotions than CBT.

That is likely because CBT attempt to focus on your emotions, but rather on your thoughts that cause your emotion. I have not heard of DBT though honestly, and I am far from an expert on CBT, but will have to read more on both now.

I have had personal success with DBT practiced in a clinical setting. A lot of the skills taught are really great life skills that are applicable to everyone not just those with psychiatric conditions.

It seems DBT builds off of CBT.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#154

Post by mdisraeli »

Another offer of support - drop me a line if you want a hand with not just technical security, but Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) aspects to such a project.

I suspect a project like this has more complex Governance, Risk and Compliance issues than most. Where possible, work with an existing charity working in this area, as they should already have practices in place to manage this.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#155

Post by krrishd »

jayhuang wrote: post #101
krrishd wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To everyone interested in helping- I would definitely love to get all the help possible from you guys, so I'll make this an open-source project. I'm figuring out th logistics of everything right now, I'll try to contact you guys with more details as soon as possible. Thanks guys, I'm really looking forward to this :)

Also willing to help. This is something that hits very close to home for me. I've done both front-end and back-end work.

Hi,

I've created a github project here - http://github.com/krrishd/suicide-prevention

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#156

Post by krrishd »

jamesisaac wrote: post #90
krrishd wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To everyone interested in helping- I would definitely love to get all the help possible from you guys, so I'll make this an open-source project. I'm figuring out th logistics of everything right now, I'll try to contact you guys with more details as soon as possible. Thanks guys, I'm really looking forward to this :)

Would also be interested in lending a hand where I can (after being able to read up on the vision behind the app). Feel free to contact me with the project details once you've got set up.

Hi, I've created a github project here - http://github.com/krrishd/suicide-prevention

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#157

Post by itistoday2 »

jsmeaton wrote: post #151
itistoday2 wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But I think that's exactly where suicide and euthanasia are different, where you claim they are synonyms. Euthanasia is for people that are suffering, in pain, and cannot get better. Suicide, in the context of depression and other mental illnesses, is for people that are suffering, in pain, and can get better. I'm sorry, but where did you find the Guidebook To Life that lays out the precise rules of what is and isn…

I feel we're approaching this topic in very different directions. Let me rephrase both arguments, and let me know if I've rephrased correctly or not. Your point is; how can you call suicide a bad or evil thing if it relieves pain and suffering in exactly the same way that the traditional definition of euthanasia does. My point is; suicide prevention isn't just about demonising suicide, the act, but about helping peop…

Your point is; how can you call suicide a bad or evil thing if it relieves pain and suffering in exactly the same way that the traditional definition of euthanasia does.

I very much appreciate you reaching out in such a way. It helps to know that we're working toward an understanding of perspectives, instead of arguing. Thank you.

That is not quite my point. I do accept the possibility of a "dishonorable" or "reckless" suicide, but I suspect such cases are the exception, rather than rule, given the significant taboo suicide carries today.

My point is; suicide prevention isn't just about demonising suicide, the act, but about helping people not get to the point where they feel/know that suicide is the only option.

Re: "isn't just about demonising suicide", the demonization of suicide is one of the key issues that I was getting at in my post. It hurts everyone involved. Family members wake up one day only to find their loved one dead all of a sudden. This happens because of said demonization. It wouldn't happen if suicide weren't illegal, if people weren't locked up against their will when they say they are suicidal, etc. A suicidal person should be free to talk about killing themselves with those close to them without fear of loss of liberty, social ostracization, and chemical rape. A son, father, daughter, mother, wife, husband, should be able to speak openly with their family about wanting out. Unfortunately, it seems our society is not mature enough for such conversation, and thus suicide becomes an agony for all involved. The person who killed themselves went through extra guilt and agony, and those surviving are also left feeling guilty, indignant, upset, angry, depressed, etc.

It doesn't have to be that way.

Re: "not get to the point where they feel/know that suicide is the only option", I can't comment on that without a concrete example. People get sideswiped and end up close to the edge. It can happen gradually, or very suddenly. Each situation is unique, and must be treated as such.

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#158

Post by oliv9286 »

hi Krish, please let me know if I can contribute in any way! I'm probably not as experienced as most people here in terms of technical skills, but speaking from personal experience, a very good friend of mine nearly took his own life few months back. It was a painful experience, I myself had a few days of major depression during the incident, so I was able to understand how hard it is for people who suffer from long-term depression (and even then I'm sure my struggles weren't nearly as difficult as what my friend was going through at that time). I don't hope to see anyone else losing their own life, or losing the ones they love to depression/suicide again. Imo, suicide is a pretty sensitive topic. Instead of rushing to the technical details and how to build the app, I think it's much more important to carefully study and really understand the people who have had suicide thoughts, what are their struggles, what caused the thought, and how to help them resolve that thought. And it's important to analyze what are the potential issues/risks of the app's design so that it doesn't end up unintentionally bringing more harm than help. And last but not least, I'm more familiar with the back-end, but willing to do (and learn!) more front-end as well. I hope your project can succeed, good luck!

Re: Ask HN: I'm 15, won a grant to develop a suicide prevention app, what next?

#160

Post by rjbwork »

dspeyer wrote: post #128
rjbwork wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think he's saying that falsely implanted self-esteen, a la "everyones a unique special winner!", is a problem. When everyone is told over and over again while growing up that they are great and their self-esteem is artificially inflated, they inevitably experience some amount of cognitive dissonance and maybe even depression at the realization somewhere down the road that they're probably not as unique, special, ta…

> I think he's saying that falsely implanted self-esteen, a la "everyones a unique special winner!", is a problem. I certainly hated that growing up. It was years before I could believe I had done anything right, because people would say the same things either way. But I think tokenadult was actually proposing something else: not focusing on oneself so much. Much like CS Lewis's concept of humility: "could create the…

I don't really have a response to this other than to say that I like what you wrote and what CS Lewis wrote. Thanks for telling us about it. It is truly or relevant to the obsession over self-esteem today.
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