> And there is no algorithm that can detect suicidal feelings.
I get what you're saying, but given the miracles that do exist in modern medicine, I'm not prepared to say it's impossible. I suspect better availability of mental healthcare, preferring counselling over drugs, and less stigmatising would all be better 'solutions' than an algorithm, but if an algorithm did exist that could genuinely help then it would be a good thing.
Not a conversation that I think is particularly relevant to HN, nor possible to have effectively online.
But, in short, I genuinely believe that, though my friend's despair at the moment she took her life was very real, she could and would have got through that despair. Her suicide had a huge impact on those around her, especially her parents, and it would have been better both for her and those around her if she had been helped through the despair instead of just ending it.
I get what you're saying, but given the miracles that do exist in modern medicine, I'm not prepared to say it's impossible. I suspect better availability of mental healthcare, preferring counselling over drugs, and less stigmatising would all be better 'solutions' than an algorithm, but if an algorithm did exist that could genuinely help then it would be a good thing.