Facebook's User Operations Safety Team workers look at reviews at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011. Facebook is making it easier for Facebook users who express suicidal thoughts to get help. A program launching on Tuesday enables Facebook users to instantly connect with a crisis counselor through Facebook's "chat" messaging system.

Every week, Headquarters Counseling Center receives calls from someone who is concerned that one of their Facebook friends could be suicidal based on a comment made on the social networking site.

Sometimes it turns out that friend was only posting song lyrics, but in some instances the person was at serious risk for suicide.

Whether posted or spoken, expressions of suicidal thoughts need to be taken seriously, director of Headquarters Counseling Marcia Epstein said.

This week, Facebook launched a new feature that would make it easier for friends to report comments that they believe could indicate a risk of suicide. After a friend reports a distressing comment, the tool would allow a person at risk of suicide to connect with a counselor through a confidential chat session.

While the Facebook feature is helpful, Epstein said the best alternative is to always call the local suicide hotline. For Lawrence, that number is 841-2345.

“We can tell so much more by hearing a person’s tone of voice and can clarify things quickly if needed,” she said.

When Headquarters receives a call from someone who is concerned that a Facebook friend is having suicidal thoughts, Epstein said questions need to be asked. They need to know how well the caller knows the person, how old the person is and whether she or he has any contact information for the person.

Sometimes, the caller barely knows the person. “You can be friends with people that you don’t really know,” Epstein said of the dynamics of Facebook.

If there is a threat of suicide, Facebook will help Headquarters track down someone at risk. From her experience, Epstein said younger Facebook users tend to post intense comments that at times are a plea for help and at other times are just expressions of dramatic feelings.

“Adolescent and teens are likely to use that kind of language more readily and not be as close to acting on it,” Epstein said.

While Facebook has offered ways to provide suicide prevention before, the new feature will make it easier to do so.

According to The Associated Press, here’s how the Facebook reporting will work:

A user spots a suicidal comment on a friend’s page. He then clicks on a “report” button next to the posting that leads to a series of questions about the nature of the post, including whether it is violent, harassing, hate speech or harmful behavior.

If harmful behavior is clicked, then self-harm, Facebook’s user safety team reviews it and sends it to Lifeline. Once the comment is determined to be legitimate, Facebook sends an email to the user who originally posted the thoughts perceived as suicidal. The email includes Lifeline’s phone number and a link to start a confidential chat session.

The recipient decides whether to respond. Facebook also sends an email to the person who reported the content to let the person know that the site responded. If a suicide or other threats appear imminent, Facebook encourages friends to call law enforcement.

While calling the local hotline number is preferred, Epstein acknowledges that suicide prevention centers have to be able to reach people through the avenues in which they communicate. The widespread use of telephones resulted in hotline crisis centers taking root in the 1950s.

Today, nearly everyone uses computers and smartphones. Headquarters doesn’t have the capability to chat online with people at risk of suicide.

They also don’t have a dedicated phone for answering text messages. However, at times, counselors have used their personal cellphones to reach out to someone who was at risk of suicide but wasn’t answering a phone call.

“It’s something we are seeing happen more and more,” Epstein said.

Headquarters also responds by email, although they don’t receive the immediate attention that a phone call to the hotline does.

The agency is looking at software that would allow for new forms of communication. The barrier isn’t so much the technology as the staffing.

“It takes a lot of extra staff time. The back and forth in a chat conversation takes much longer than a voice conversation. And, you can’t be doing multiple things. You’ve got to be focused on the counseling,” Epstein said.

Epstein reminds people that whether it is online or in person, the suggestions for responding to someone who is showing suicidal signs are the same:

• Listen and show you care.
• Ask the question “Are you thinking about suicide?”
• For teens, find a trusted adult to help you both.
• For adults, find someone to be with the person and someone trained in suicide prevention, such as Headquarters Counseling Center staff, to help.
• Always eliminate access to firearms, large amounts of medications and other dangers.
• Never keep a secret about suicide.
• Know that suicide is never someone else’s fault.

And Epstein said when in doubt seek help.

“It is better for someone to call us worried about a person than later to find out they died by suicide and say, ‘Oh man, we should have done something different,’” Epstein said.

- Th Associated Press contributed to this story