How will you counsel a potential suicide/murder person online? What spiritual advice would you give?

I chatted with an 18 yr old from Australia who is suffering from severe depression....what started out as a fun chat turned into a serious counselling session. I was taken back on has negative views on life and how severe his depression was. I gave him Godly inspired advice, as well as comfort and counsel. We reasoned together and debated.


But the most crucial part in our chat was when he told me that he is seriously thinking of going to his school and shooting all his class mates and teachers and then he will kill himself. Although shaken up by this threat i found the courage to try and consol him with Godly advice that i felt was needed...he asked me to pray for him..which i did, and i added him to my contacts and tell him i will always be available to talk when ever he needed me too..


The thing is we are from two different countries...


How would you have dealt with this sitation?...tell me?How will you counsel a potential suicide/murder person online? What spiritual advice would you give?
I've been a biblical counselor for 9 years now. The counsel I'd give would be different if I were talking to a Christian as to a non-Christian.





For a non-Christian, you can't expect them to understand or accept godly advice. The best thing you can counsel a non-Christian in is to help them understand that there is a God who loves them and really does want the best for them.





For a Christian, you have more you can say because you have a base to work from. Suicide is essentially setting yourself up as the god of your life. It is saying to God that you don't like the way He is taking your life and you think you have a better way to do it (killing yourself). If you can get a Christian to start looking at what they really believe about who God is, you can get them to see what a mistake suicide is if they truly believe that God is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving.





However, from what you said, I think it would be fair to assume that this young man is not a Christian. For him, life seems hopeless. That's not at all unusual. I mean, if you don't know that there is a good God who has your ultimate best at heart, then hopelessness fits right in. You feel like a helpless pawn in the game of life and taking yourself (and maybe others) out has little meaning to anyone.





For a person like this, he desperately needs to hear the good news of a loving God. He is looking for someone who loves him just as he is. And this is exactly what God does with us. Even though God sees all of our faults and even that we don't love Him, He still loved us enough to come in the form of a man and die for us.





I've worked with a lot of suicidal people online and I do think Christians have much to offer them. We shouldn't be afraid to reach out to them in love.





A couple of key things when working with people who are suicidal, though. You might give them suggestions of hope, but they will tend to shoot down everything you say. They often will tell you how awful they are. When they say that, I agree with them. I say, ';Yes, we ALL are horrible people. That's what makes it so incredible that God has chosen to love us anyway.'; Telling them they are a nice person usually doesn't do any good. It's like a bottomless pit. You can tell them from now until the cows go home, but it's not going to help. The truth is that we all are not nice people deep down. We are sinful. But don't forget the upside -- that God loves us anyway.





Another thing to do is to always try to make a meeting with the person for a bit later, or tomorrow. If you can get them to commit to see you again later, their mood may not be quite so bad and you may be able to talk to them more.





If you can get them to see a counselor, good, but chances are they really don't want to do that or they wouldn't be looking for help online. Talking to someone online who is suicidal has its limitations. If you don't know the person and you don't have any information about where they live, you can't really do anything about it. (If you can get their city out of them, and some personal information, you might be able to call the police there and ask for a welfare check.)





The most important thing you can do is pray for them. One lady I talked to one night just stopped talking to me and there wasn't anything else I could do but pray. I had no clue who she was or where she lived. I prayed for her for several weeks afterwards. Six months later, I saw her again in chat. She came to tell me that she was getting married. When she started talking to me, she'd already taken pills and when she stopped, she'd passed out from them. A pastor who was new to the area got lost (she lived out in the country, away from other houses) while trying to visit someone from his church and he stopped at her house. He could see her lying on the floor through the door and called 911. Six months later, they were getting married. :o) So, God can work where we can't. He knows all of the people by name and can bring help to them. We do what we can and then have to leave them in His loving hands.





You might want to read a couple of articles on our website: http://www.oaim.org/depression.html and http://www.oaim.org/selfesteem.html . Or refer this guy to us. oaim@oaim.orgHow will you counsel a potential suicide/murder person online? What spiritual advice would you give?
yes asked this same question yesterday and got some good advice- i will say this again, he needs professional counseling - it is awesome that you care, and yes God can help this person- however he needs to be reported if he may do what he says. report him NOW.
Give them Hope..Jesus is the hope they long for..I have been there myself and if it not been for Jesus I would not be here today...
Law = Suicide-all; Dinosaurish Extinction: All Perish.


Grace = No Law = No Sin %26amp; Death = So None Perish.


The Lord is longsuffering to ';us-ward'; so none perish.


http://www.godshew.org/Usward.htm





Enmity: I will forsake you, the city, your fathers: Law


Friend: I will never leave thee nor forsake thee: Grace


http://www.godshew.org/TwoGods.htm





';Another Law'; makes ppl feel ';Wretched';: Romans 7


http://www.godshew.org/AnotherLaw.htm





Flush all law as dung, and feeling wretched goes with it.


http://www.godshew.org/RevelatorySermons鈥?/a>





Depression = Oppression of the D-evil: Law.


There is a simple Bible cure for Depression:


http://www.godshew.org/Depression.htm





The grace(only) of the Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.
tell him to go ahead and kill himself but no to harm the innocents . or just stop talking to him and let him die. there shall be no more school shootings. you should make sure of that
Honestly-- most people who are actually suicidal don't tell people about it because they don't want to be stopped.
I would have located the authorities in his country and notified them.
This person sounds very empty and as though there is no purpose in his life. He also sounds as though he is full of hate towards others.. as if he can't be happy then no one else should be happy and be living. He wants to die and take as many down with him as he can. This seems to be the trend of attack that satan has on many young people today. We know of the recent killings in the US with the young South Korean man.


I would strongly advise that in your contact with this one that you take not just the covering of the Lord by the covering of your husband's prayers and those who are closest to you. This is no mere chit chat.. this is spiritual warfare and a serious attack on the mind of this young man. There are demons of murder and suicide bothering this person's being.


Only the Lord can satisfy this one. Praying that God can have a way to penetrate this young man's hardened heart, that whatever words of life that you share with him would have a way to catch on this heart. (Mark ch4) That the strongman would be bound so that the Lord can come in and rescue this one from satan's advantage and usurpation.





I pray that the Lord will strengthen you Pamster... that your words will be filled with spirit and life for this one. His life has purpose and meaning.. He is made in God's image and likeness.. Like a hand and a glove.. He is the GLove and God is the Hand to fill Him.. Try to fill this glove with stones or dirt or anything else and it will not fulfill its purpose.. only God can fill and satisfy him .. Lets pray that he can have an opening to the Lord soon:)
If you know what town in Australia he is in, I would call the local authorities. Try and get as much info as you can from this guy. Find out what school he goes to if you can, then call that school.Too many people have ignored these warning signs in the past with nasty results. I am all for counseling, but there are potentially other lives at risk here.
I surely would not have shoved GOD down his throat.
To be honest, I'd probably have told him not to kill himself, but to find someone who would be willing to kill him so that the last thing he did on earth would be beneficial to someone. I'd even offer my services in this area. Now, that sounds pretty bad to say that, but most people who say, and especially go online and tell someone, that they're going to kill themselves or someone else, aren't. They just want someone to talk to, to reassure them, etc. usually because they don't have someone else doing these things. You did the right thing, though. Good job!
you received many great pieces of advice on this yesterday sweetie


unless you are a trained counsellor then point him in the direction of one


if you feel he is a danger to society then report him


this is the same answer i gave yesterday