Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors Information - Issue #140
Social media safety performance - not impressed.
Yesterday I recevied two notifications for X (formerly Twitter) that my post had been reported by a “concerned individual.”
This is odd since I don’t actively do anything other than post links to blog posts and other links on there. I found it hard to believe that anyone was seeing a link to a post and worrying about the way I was interacting on the platform.
So I dug a little deeper and discovered that the email might be a tad inaccurate.
Here are the emails in question. Note the time stamps - 7:54AAM and 7:03PM.
Thank you for reading the Child Abuse and Mental Health Survivors newsletter. Each week, I share new blog posts and other resources that aim to help survivors of childhood abuse and those who are struggling with mental health issues feel less alone as we discuss the issues surrounding our issues.
For more information about me and why this newsletter exists, visit the website - Child Abuse Survivor.
Now take a look at these two posts sharing a recent blog post:
Yes they are time-stamped at 7:54 AM and 7:03 PM.
They both contain the phrase “self-harm.” I received an automated email claiming that someone was reporting my post at the same time the post published. No one was reporting my post. An automated response was generated because I used a keyword. There is no understanding that I’m linking to research about self-harm and not talking about harming myself. It’s just seeing the phrase and sending me a “concerned” email. (Lying about someone reporting it is just an extra touch of ick.)
That’s not caring and it’s not safe. It’s a brute force, dumb algorithm created to give the impression of caring, without having to do any of the work.
Maybe that’s ok. Maybe expecting X to care about users is asking too much. On the other hand, don’t tell me you care and then rollout a tool that is obviously dumb. I know it’s not easy to monitor or moderate content, but this effort just seems lazy. Do better. Think of all the people who might be in need of help that don’t use the exact phrase. Make a little effort to help them.
New from the Blogs
Sharing - Can brief text messaging reduce repeat hospital-treated self-harm?
When someone gets an automated text that checks in with them on a regular basis, there is an apparent impact that is worth investigating more.
Just imagine what the impact could be if those texts were from friends. What if real people took a moment to check in more often?
On a related note, I’m not surprised, are you? - We're surprisingly reluctant to reach out to old friends.
Sharing - The many faces of mental illness in Blacks
As a white person, I don't generally have much to say about other groups. It's not my place to talk about the hows and whys of the reluctance of black Americans to seek out mental health resources.
I do, however, know that there is a gap in the availability of treatment for most minority groups in the US and that it's important for members of every group to talk about mental health.
Related - The Digital Divide In Black Mental Health: Can AI Bridge The Gap?
Shared from Elsewhere
Undoing Emotional Numbing May Be Key to Trauma Recovery - If you can’t feel it, you can’t heal it.
For your information - 15 Best PTSD & Trauma Books
This is a neat story that shows us how important people talking about mental health is - Cowboys' Dak Prescott meets fan who said he wouldn't be alive without QB's mental health message.
I know that being remote helps my mental health by giving me more freedom and flexibility with my time. - How flexible working helps my mental health & well-being.
From the Archives
Disclosure Seems Like a Simple Word; It’s Not a Simple Thing To Do
Be honest. How many people in your life are you close enough to that you could sit down and have a conversation about child abuse with them? How many people do you trust to react in a helpful, non-stigmatizing way? I’m willing to bet that number is small. It’s small because, well, some people can’t be trusted that way, but also because most of the people we know, we don’t know well enough to know how they’d react. Again, that’s a lot of pressure to take on. Maybe it’d be easier not to talk about it.
How much better would you feel if you could look at the details and enjoy your progress?
According to Nieman Labs, we should be watching more positive news stories:
Thanks for reading. If you find this newsletter informative and helpful, spread the word. That’s the best way to say thank you for my weekly effort.