TO SITE ADMINISTRATORS

[merrix]

Recently there have been several posts from deeply depressed, desperate members explicitly talking about ending their lives.
Every case is a tragedy, and of course all of us hope they can recover and feel better.

But - I don't think anyone of us signed up to this site to act as some layman psychologist, trying to give advice to desperate people telling us they will commit suicide.
We are not trained for it and could potentially do as much harm as we could help.

I am fine being here to help people by telling about my implant journey, pros and cons, lessons learned and answering questions. Even talk to people on the phone.
About implants.
But when put in the situation that someone your are exchanging posts with says he is going to end his life - then it is something else.

I was just wondering what your take is on this whole situation.
So far, you have been silent as far as I can see.
Do you have anything to say about this? Any advice to your members?
Any protocol for how to handle this?

It is a serious issue, and I think it is starting to deserve your attention.
I suppose it is in your interest that people don't take the plunge because of some exchange on FT.

[Littleleo]

I'm not an administrator, but I think you bring up a very good point. In my opinion we as members should try and stick to advising these people to contact the proper channels to seek the proper help. For example suicide hotlines, or their primary physician. If they would take the step to get help from those that are qualified to do so could make all the difference.

[Luckyes]

While I know its not quite what the OP is saying...I don't feel like a "go seek help anywhere but here" is the best stance. If people are deeply depressed and post it here its best to remind them that an implant is not going to fix their depression and they should seek psychological help ASAP. This is a community so its good to have a place for people to speak out. I think a forum psych is appropriate - not necessarily implant subforum. In the end there are no magic pills or quick fixes to what a lot of these men are going through and erectile dysfunction can be a result of this depression or be worsened by it in a multifactorial sense.

[Frank Talk Admin]

Thanks for your concern. We do take these guys who seem to be in great emotional/mental distress very seriously. We do not address them in public for many reasons - privacy is the main concern. We reach out to them very frequently. We also don't remove their posts for several reasons - they can feel silenced or dismissed is probably chief among them.

This is also why we have posted the link to the suicide hotline. https://www.franktalk.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18158

In NO WAY do we expect guys who are active on the board to try to deal with these men. We do not ask men to try to be therapists or counselors. Reading these posts can be frightening and scary. As a way of self-care, I suggest that you not read these posts. I read them and guys often send me a message or DM to let me know about them.

The reality is we can only do so much on here. This was a topic I brought up in the documentary that the Discovery Channel did on ED. The medical world is failing these men every day. The unmet needs in this area of men's health are staggering - again for many cultural reasons and lack of education on the part of health care workers. That's why I started Franktalk 13 years ago!

I am grateful for your concern!
Paul

[Old Guy]

It has been a concern, but isn't that been one guy posting under different handles?

Regardless, Thanks Paul for your concern on this. ED does cause depression; I know from experience.
Just hoping whoever it may be finds the right help they need.

[Time2Change]

merrix and Paul,

Thanks for addressing this issue.

[frwmw1]

Thanks for your concern. We do take these guys who seem to be in great emotional/mental distress very seriously. We do not address them in public for many reasons - privacy is the main concern. We reach out to them very frequently. We also don't remove their posts for several reasons - they can feel silenced or dismissed is probably chief among them.

This is also why we have posted the link to the suicide hotline. https://www.franktalk.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18158

In NO WAY do we expect guys who are active on the board to try to deal with these men. We do not ask men to try to be therapists or counselors. Reading these posts can be frightening and scary. As a way of self-care, I suggest that you not read these posts. I read them and guys often send me a message or DM to let me know about them.

The reality is we can only do so much on here. This was a topic I brought up in the documentary that the Discovery Channel did on ED. The medical world is failing these men every day. The unmet needs in this area of men's health are staggering - again for many cultural reasons and lack of education on the part of health care workers. That's why I started Franktalk 13 years ago!

I am grateful for your concern!
Paul

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