Google will soon begin displaying pre-written text messages that appear when users search for terms related to suicide.
These guidelines are designed to help people begin to have difficult conversations during a mental health crisis and were developed in partnership with the International Organization for Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The message options appear directly below the 988 Suicide and Crisis Helpline information that Google already provides when people search for terms related to suicide.
It prompts users to connect with people you trust, and each prompt has a “Send Text” button that opens and links the prompt to the user’s text messaging program. While Google is only showing examples of the feature on mobile, Google spokesperson Ned Adriance says it will be available on desktop as well.
“When someone is in a vulnerable situation, it can be difficult to put that experience into words and know what to say to ask for help,” Megan Jones Bell, director of consumer and mental health at Google, wrote in a blog post.
“These pre-written guidelines, developed in collaboration with the expertise of Lifeline, the International Organization for Suicide Prevention Lifeline, reduce the shame of asking for help, helping people to get support in times of crisis.”
Last year, Google began using AI to identify searches made by people in crisis, allowing the machine to direct them to the resources they might need.
