For information on what to do if someone you encounter on Twitter is posting about suicide or self-harm or if you yourself are considering those actions, please keep reading.
What should I do if I am feeling suicidal or thinking of self-harm?
If you are having thoughts of suicide, self-harm or depression please reach out to someone and get help. You can reach out to someone you trust, a healthcare professional, or a suicide hotline. You can find a list of available resources and hotlines here. Please take the first step and remember you are not alone, there are people who care about you and help is available!
What should I do if I’ve identified a Twitter user causing harm to themselves?
If you know the person and feel comfortable doing so, contact them personally and make sure they're doing okay. Feel free to share the resources listed in our article on Dealing with Self-harm and Suicide. If you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to the person on your own or aren’t sure how to reach them, you can alert the Trust & Safety team here.
Once we’ve had a chance to assess a report of self-harm, we reach out to the reported user and let them know that someone who cares about them identified that they might be going through a tough time. We will provide the reported user with available online and hotline resources and encourage them to seek help. We may forward the report to a suicide hotline, with only the information publicly available on Twitter. Any information about the reporter will be kept confidential.
Can Twitter give me another person’s contact information?
Per our Privacy Policy, we will not release user information except as required by valid legal process. If you are concerned for another user’s physical safety, please contact your local law enforcement agency. Once reported to the proper authorities, if Twitter is contacted directly by law enforcement, we can work with them and provide assistance as well as guidance around possible approaches. You can direct local law enforcement to our Guidelines for Law Enforcement for more information: https://support.twitter.com/articles/41949.
For more resources and information on self-harm, suicide, and depression please visit our article about Dealing with Self-harm and Suicide.
