Koko Suicide Prevention Kit is a free digital resource library that can be integrated with social networks, streaming services and other online communities to help support at-risk individuals on the respective platforms.
Almost every social platform does have an in-built list of keywords that detect suicide-related search terms like self-harm, depression and more. There are established practices to suppress the content for such keywords. Unfortunately there are gaping holes in this regard. Scores of individuals can still easily search for tips on ‘How to inflict self-harm’, ‘How to kill myself’ and similar strings.
Many platforms do redirect such users to the 1-800 number or to the pages that offer emotional support for these individuals. The problem in this approach is that mostly the individuals who use these keywords are already overwhelmed by their tendencies and have crossed a tipping-point. Hence all these techniques may not be particularly helpful.
Koko Suicide Prevention Kit provides a more novel and practical approach in such critical cases. It provides a free native library designed for social networks, and online communities etc. that catches common and usual search terms often used by individuals with suicidal tendencies. The library also a big database of slang terms like ‘sewerslide’, as well as, terms with evasive language like ‘an0rex1a’. All the keywords have been sourced from thousands of identified social media posts crying out for help.
The unique part is that the Prevention Kit doesn’t stop over here and is supplemented by providing interventions in the form of peer support, crisis triage etc. Koko reaches out to users where they are, at the right moment and offers extremely valuable and evidence-based interventions to them, instead of simply redirecting them to a banner or a webpage that can be classified as a passive intervention.
The interventions are free without the need to download any app. The library resource kit collects no data and all the interventions are totally anonymous in order to safeguard privacy of individuals.
Integration:
The integration of the Koko Suicide Prevention Kit resource is pretty easy for developers and comprises two components:
- A client that detects the high risk terms
- An embed that is triggered when high risk keywords are used and a library of support and referral links to free resources and online interventions. The keywords have been categorized in three dimensions to trigger different actions.
The digital library been written in the RUST programming language and operates at lightning speeds to detect the correct matches. Click here to access the quick start guide that will walk you through the high level steps involved in the integration.
Verdict:
Koko’s Suicide Prevention Kit provides absolutely free resources at a very critical juncture, to people in the online community at risk of committing suicides. It’s unique combination of search detection plus crucial online intervention offers timely assistance to individuals out there crying out for help. Significant improvements have been observed in people who have accessed these online interventions.
Nothing is more terrifying than the thought of a young person attempting suicide and the consequences for the concerned families. Please go ahead and access the Koko Suicide Prevention Kit from this link and join an ever-growing group of social networks and platforms dedicated to help prevent suicides. It will be really worthwhile if at least one tragedy can be averted. Add some code, help save a life.
