I've been reading up on the Reckful ( @Byron) situation and seeing the kind of comments he received is horrifying.

I deal with suicidality every day at work; suicide hotlines are great, but they are far from enough.

We need actionable steps as a gaming community.

(thread)

1) @Twitch, @WatchMixer, @FacebookGaming and all streaming platforms must make "KYS" and any comments encouraging self-harm a zero-tolerance ban-worthy offense.

The video of Reckful's chat spamming KYS to him years ago should disgust you to your very core (2/x)

2) we as gamers have to be the ones calling out and shaming those who are encouraging self-harm. Take the time to right click the username and report them.

Don't just let it scroll by -- we need to make the entire gaming space *actively hostile* to that kind of toxicity. (3/x)

3) we as gamers need to grow up and respond maturely to mental health disorders in our content creators.

Having bipolar disorder and being a gaming celeb, like Reckful, like Etika, should not be a death sentence.

Yes, you do need to treat them differently. Get over it. (4/x)

Keep on sharing those suicide hotline numbers. The hotlines do provide essential, life-saving help. But don't share the line like that's a solution. It is a final line of defense that requires the person's suicidal ideation be I congruent with what they feel they want. (5/x)

To elaborate: if someone *wants* to kill themself, the hotline won't be worth anything.

There's a difference between feeling suicidal and actually wanting to kill yourself, having a plan, and then acting on that plan. Reckful lived with suicidal ideation for many years. (6/x)

Not all suicidality is due to loneliness. Mental health disorders are not hard-set algorithms. Many people who attempt suicide say they knew they weren't alone.

When we assume things like that, we are making assumptions as a non-suicidal person. It's essentially ableist. (7/x)

In summary, if you want to decrease the chances of something like this happening again, please do more than share hotlines. Whatever corner of the internet you have sway over, whether it's 5000 viewers or 5, make your space hostile toward mental health toxicity. (end thread)

And again, @Twitch if it is anything less than a zero tolerance ban-worthy offense to say the phrase "KYS" in any shape or form, then you are not doing nearly enough to protect your content creators and you should be ashamed. Let that phrase be a mistake you can only make once.