Self Harm & Suicide Policy
Welcome to TalkMH
TalkMH is a safe, supportive community where you can be heard, be yourself, and find the support you need.
Suicide and Self-Harm Policy
This policy explains how TalkMH handles discussion about suicide, self-harm, crisis and emotional distress.
If You Are in Immediate Danger
If you believe you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services immediately. TalkMH is not an emergency or crisis response service and cannot provide real-time intervention.
- Emergency services: Contact your local emergency number immediately.
- United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland: Samaritans — 116 123 (24 hours).
- United States & Canada: Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
- Australia: Lifeline Australia — 13 11 14.
- Elsewhere: Contact your country's emergency services, healthcare provider, or local crisis helpline.
If possible, reach out to a trusted friend, family member, healthcare professional, or local support service. You do not have to face a crisis alone.
Purpose
TalkMH exists to provide peer support and a safe space for adults to discuss mental health. We recognise that some members may experience suicidal thoughts, self-harm urges, or periods of crisis.
This policy aims to balance honest discussion with the need to protect users from harmful, graphic, instructive or encouraging content.
What Is Allowed
Members may talk about difficult thoughts and experiences in a non-graphic, support-seeking way.
- Talking about suicidal thoughts or urges.
- Talking about self-harm experiences without graphic detail.
- Asking for emotional support.
- Discussing recovery, relapse, coping strategies or treatment experiences.
- Sharing feelings of hopelessness, shame, fear, loneliness or distress.
- Encouraging someone to seek urgent help or professional support.
Examples of allowed posts
- “I’m struggling with thoughts of ending my life and I don’t know what to do.”
- “I self-harmed recently and I feel ashamed.”
- “I’m finding it hard to stay safe tonight.”
- “Has anyone found healthy distractions that help during urges?”
What Is Not Allowed
Content that encourages, instructs, assists, glorifies, pressures or normalises suicide or self-harm is not allowed.
- Detailed suicide methods or self-harm techniques.
- Dosages, quantities, timings, locations, tools or instructions.
- Advice on increasing lethality or avoiding discovery/intervention.
- Encouraging, pressuring or daring someone to harm themselves.
- Suicide pacts, partner-seeking, countdowns or “goodbye” coordination.
- Graphic descriptions of injuries, attempts, wounds or death.
- Images, videos or links showing self-harm, suicide attempts, gore or wounds.
- Content that romanticises, celebrates or presents suicide/self-harm as a solution.
- Competitive discussions about severity, scars, attempts or injury seriousness.
Content Warnings
Members are encouraged to use content warnings when discussing sensitive subjects. Moderators may edit titles or posts to add warnings where appropriate.
[CW: Self-Harm]
[CW: Eating Disorders]
[CW: Trauma]
How Members Should Respond
When replying to someone in distress, keep replies kind, calm and supportive.
- Listen without judgement.
- Encourage immediate help if someone may be unsafe.
- Suggest contacting emergency services, crisis support or a trusted person.
- Share personal coping strategies without giving instructions for harm.
- Do not promise secrecy.
- Do not take sole responsibility for keeping another person alive.
- Do not diagnose, shame, mock or challenge someone aggressively.
Moderator Actions
Moderators may take action to reduce risk and protect the community.
- Add content warnings.
- Edit or remove harmful details.
- Hide content pending review.
- Lock threads where discussion becomes unsafe.
- Send support information to users.
- Issue warnings or temporary restrictions.
- Suspend or permanently ban accounts for serious breaches.
- Escalate serious safety concerns internally.
Users at Immediate Risk
If a post suggests a user may be at immediate risk of serious harm, moderators may act urgently.
- Reply with emergency and crisis support information where appropriate.
- Remove harmful replies or details that may increase risk.
- Restrict replies if the thread becomes unsafe.
- Escalate to senior staff for urgent review.
- Where lawful and necessary, serious threats or illegal content may be reported to relevant authorities.
Moderator Escalation Matrix
| Situation | Risk | Moderator Response |
|---|---|---|
| General discussion of low mood or difficult feelings | Low | Allow, monitor if needed, encourage supportive replies. |
| User mentions suicidal thoughts without method or immediate intent | Medium | Allow support-seeking discussion, add crisis signposting where appropriate. |
| User describes self-harm without graphic detail | Medium | Allow if support-seeking; add content warning if needed. |
| Post contains detailed method, dosage, tools or instructions | High | Remove or edit immediately, warn user, add support information. |
| User encourages another person to self-harm or die by suicide | High | Remove immediately, suspend account, senior moderator review. |
| Suicide pact, partner seeking, countdown or coordinated harm | Critical | Remove immediately, ban account, escalate internally and externally where required. |
| Credible immediate threat to life or serious harm | Critical | Urgent staff review, crisis signposting, restrict harmful discussion, escalate where lawful and necessary. |
Privacy and Confidentiality
TalkMH is a public or semi-public online forum. Members should not post information they would not want others to see. Moderators may review reported content and take action where necessary.
Users should not promise secrecy to someone at risk. If there is a serious safety concern, staff may need to take action to protect users or comply with legal obligations.
Medical Advice
TalkMH does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or crisis intervention. Members should not tell others to start, stop or change medication, ignore professional advice, or avoid emergency support.
Reporting Concerns
If you see content that appears unsafe, harmful or against this policy, please use the report button. Do not quote harmful details or argue with the user.
Appeals
If you believe your content was moderated incorrectly, you may contact the staff team politely and ask for a review. Abusive, repeated or bad-faith appeals may be ignored.
