We should be allowed to talk about suicide on social media

 First of all, I am fine and thank you for asking. I almost died from natural causes this year. Doctors and nurses put in a lot of time and effort to keep me alive, and my family and my insurance company spent more than six figures on my surgery and rehabilitation. I like being alive, like most people.

Suicide is a taboo topic on social media, to the extent that filters are employed that flag people who even use the word "suicide" in a post. On the one hand, this can deter people from advocating suicide, which is still a problem online. On the other hand, it stops people from seeking help, and it stops people from discussing how certain historical figures died.

The real motivation for these social media filters is that the topic of suicide makes people uncomfortable. If you are the type to use social media to share cat photos and pictures of your lunch while on vacation, then maybe Facebook should provide an option where such content is filtered out. But there are people out there who are hurting, and social media can be a resource where they can connect with people who know them and care about them. Maybe they don't feel comfortable calling 988 and talking to strangers. The algorithm should never stand in the way of people getting help.