
Facebook's effort to stop suicides reveals a gap between tech and healthcare - danso
https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-suicide-work-reveals-gap-silicon-valley-tech-health-research-2019-5
======
MrEldritch
I have a friend who believes that it is genuinely possible for a life to be
net-negative expected utility, making suicide the right answer sometimes, and
that he either is or may eventually be in such a scenario.

He is too afraid to talk to anyone about this except under an online
pseudonym, because he is too afraid that if he actually talked to a
psychiatrist about this, he would be immediately and involuntarily
hospitalized for suicide risk.

He is _terrified_ that he will soon not have even the _option_ to commit
suicide - even if it is truly better than continuing to face a life not worth
living - because of precisely this kind of well-meaning ubiquitous monitoring
and predictive warning. I'm really worried that he might just try and kill
himself pre-emptively while he thinks he still has a chance.

~~~
pascalxus
He's right to fear this. I've seen it happen. someone can be locked up real
quick if they say they will kill themselves. And, he/she will be stuck with a
truly astronomical medical bill after it as well, so then they're doubly
screwed.

