New Delhi: The tech giant has announced that people who turn to Google searches with words related to suicide may get new pre-written texts that may prompt them to seek help in their most vulnerable moments. To reduce the stigma of seeking help, Google developed pre-written prompts in partnership with the International Association for Suicide Prevention, which have been shown to help people seek help in moments of crisis.
The new feature will be rolled out first in the US, and will appear under the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
“When someone is in a vulnerable state, it can be difficult to put the experience into words and it can be difficult to know what to say to help,” Dr. Megan Jones Bell, Clinical Director, Consumer and Mental Health, Google said in a blog post. ,
“To better help people reach someone they trust, starting soon in the US, when someone searches for words related to suicide, they will be shown conversation starters,” he said. A prompt will appear with , which they can send via text message.”
Suicide prevention information has been showing up at the top of relevant search results for years. Recently, Google also updated its approach to eating disorder-related content. To protect viewers from harmful content, the tech giant removed some content that depicts or describes “disordered eating behaviors such as bingeing or purging,” Dr. Bell said.
“We are also adding age-restrictions to videos that focus on eating disorder recovery for viewers 18 years of age or older.
“And the Crisis Resource Panel for Eating Disorders now appears below eating disorder related videos in addition to search results, to reach even more people when viewing content on this topic. These changes are designed to create space for community and recovery.” Will help. , while continuing to protect the audience,” he said.
In addition, Google is also expanding its work with mental health organizations, particularly those focused on helping certain populations such as children and the elderly. If you or someone you love is experiencing a mental health crisis, there are resources available to help from Google and many other trusted organizations.