If you know someone who has died by suicide, be aware that their family members or friends might see your 'post' about their loved one’s death. They are likely to be grieving and struggling with a range of intense feelings, so it’s important to be sensitive to those feelings and careful with the language you use.

If you are writing or sharing a post about someone who has died by suicide, only post what you know to be true and encourage others to do the same. You should avoid:

• Speculating about an individual’s thoughts or feelings leading up to the suicide or about why the person took their life.
• Posting or sharing information that you are unsure of or that you know is inaccurate.

There may be times when you want to set up a website, page or closed group to memorialise a person who has died by suicide. Setting up a page or group to remember someone who has died can be a good way to 'share' stories and receive and provide support. But there is also the potential that certain content could negatively impact the thoughts and feelings of others. For this reason, some concerns have been raised about the potential for copycat suicides. If you create a page or closed group to memorialise someone who has died by suicide, there are a few things that you can do to make the memorial page or group safe for others. These include:

• Monitoring comments for harmful or unsafe content or unhelpful language.
• Deal with any disagreements or unsupportive comments quickly, as they can discourage people from sharing how they feel.
• Include a ‘Terms of Use’ that outlines the rules for participating in the online memorial page or group.

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