Discussion [POLL] What would you do if you saw a stranger committing suicide?

[MistakesHappen]

Picture this:
You are walking home, you look on your right and notice a man about to jump off a bridge.
He is already beyond the fence, with a single step that distances him from certain death. You have time to reach him, what do you do?

 

[bea1974]

Leave him to it.

UNLESS he indicates that he wants something from me.

I have stopped to help strangers in distress (eg. a man who had been violently mugged in my local park one time) but only ever when they asked for help and with their full consent.

 

[First loss]

I'd try and talk to him and help him if he wants to be helped.

 

[Baskol1]

I would probably just go away, if he really wants to jump, calling the police would not stop him, and talking could backfire too.

 

[Subhuman]

As a woman, I'd have to take a lot of stuff into consideration before approaching a strange man. Does he look dangerous, is he behaving erratically, are we in a sketchy area, are there other people around, etc. If he's just about to jump I doubt I'd be able to get to him in time. I know myself and I'm not good at thinking on my feet.

Reframing the scenario a bit in order to fit what I presume is the spirit of your post, let's say I'm taking a walk on that bridge and the man who's been walking a few meters ahead of me climbs over the railing. If he doesn't look menacing and if he appears to be in distress I'd probably ask him if he's ok and if he needs help. If he wants to talk I'd listen to him and tell him I know what he's going through. If I could help him with anything I'd offer to do so. I sure wouldn't call the police. If he jumped, then I'd call them so that his loved ones don't have to worry about his whereabouts and to tell the authorities what happened to him and what he told me. The bottom line is I wouldn't interfere with someone's decision to go out the way they want, nor would I encourage them to end it if they were unsure and if help were available in some form.

 

[a_strange_day]

I would just go away unless he asks for help
in any case I wouldn't stay to watch and record the "event" on my phone like a lot of assholes would

 

[MistakesHappen]

what I presume is the spirit of your post

Originally i wanted to use the term 'Human being' or similar to avoid the implications of a gender but english is not my first language and it got confusing in some points, so i switched to 'man'.
The spirit is exactly like you said in the second section of your post

 

[woxihuanni]

I once got a friend to unlock themselves out of the room, where they were planning to jump out of the window. By saying, 'It's OK to kill yourself, but you won't die, you will break bones'. So if it were a method very likely to fail, and I had the means to communicate, I would share that information with them. That's all.

 

[Mum42]

I'd be more inclined to see if they needed someone with them talk understand and not let them be alone
I'm in a healthcare profession and hate the thought of people dying alone

 

[LogicalConclusion]

This is a really interesting question that I had honestly never thought of before. It's v conflicting because obviously you can get in legal trouble for not doing something, depending on circumstances. So I think I would just try to talk to them and be supportive in whatever way is possible. If they jump, I can say I tried, as well as I didn't interfere with their choices. Calling the police would be ineffective in sooo many ways. Thanks for posing this question, it is almost certainly something I'll be pondering for awhile now.

 

[Shamana]

I would try to stop him or her and try to talk them out of it because that's generally my natural instinct. If I just ignored it or gave him encouragment I would feel like an asshole. In all it's a difficult discussion, because you would always have to factor in why they ar e doing it. In general my approach is the person needs help not that they need to die. But it's complicated. Everyone I know IRL who has made an attempt and survived has regretted it so that would be my starting point.

 

[Gorgon]

I honestly dont know, I'd like to say I'd try to help but Idk I might join

 

[Conflicted Cat]

I would approach, tell him I am not there to stop him. Back off if he wants me to. Talk, listen, get to know his situation if he wants to talk, see if he's doing it impulsively, if so let him know that, give him advice, but, overall, ultimately, respect his decision. I would not parrot what the Pro-Lifers say. If he wants to jump, I will respect his decision, and wish him the best of luck on his journey. If he decides he doesn't want to do it anymore, offer to be his friend and help him. But again, always 100% respect his wishes.

 

[Ness]

I can't make it fit in an option(s) but I'd probably approach and initiate a conversation to check if this really is what they want and if they're okay with what happens should they do that. If they really want this, I'd wait until they jumped and then call for help, giving them a shot at getting what they want and at the same time giving myself an out so I wouldn't get into trouble that could pause or stop my own plans.

 

[calendulo]

This poll is interesting but it should have a couple an option each member at least.

Depending who was doing it, of course. In some cases I will call to police or someone else or try to avoid it; and in another cases I'd let him or her do it.

I do not know.

 

[Pentobarbital_Plz]

I would never call the damn police