Horne, J. & Wiggins, S. (2009). Doing being ‘on the edge’: Managing the dilemma of being authentically suicidal in an online forum. Sociology of Health & Illness 31(2): 170-184.
Well, this article made me think… What does it mean to be ‘genuinely suicidal’?
I don’t know, I have this idea that instead of looking for the ‘genuinely suicidal’ individuals, these forums may actually be challenging suicide, in an explicit or subtle way, even with the best intentions.
Still, I think that in such an analysis the biggest issue is authenticity.
Furthermore, if we consider that even “depression may be related to suicide but not be a necessary factor”, the task of pre and post analysis is very difficult. Explaining, or trying to understand suicide, looks like trying to explain or understand death itself. Once we have identified the major factors that may lead to suicide, we will still be far away from preventing it. In my opinion, the silent voices are those who cry loudest.
Not quite following you here, "Still, I think that in such an analysis the biggest issue is authenticity." Can you say more?
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