RaduTyrsina
News Team
Life today in the current economic conditions might leave a lot of people giving up hope of ever reaching a state of normality. That’s most likely why the number of people contemplating suicide has increased in the last few years. With such worrying statistics available, Apple has decided to release a much needed update for the iOS which might eventually end up saving your life.
Until recently Siri wasn’t equipped to handle your depression. If you said out loud “I want to kill myself†the virtual assistant wouldn’t be much of a help to you, because it would just search the web in response to your claim. Even worse, if you would have been more specific like saying “I want to drink poison†it would have searched for the nearest chemical shop.
Now, however, when “hearing†your claims, Siri will advise you to get some immediate help by saying: “If you are thinking about suicide, you may want to speak with someone at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.†The assistant will then proceed to actually call the number if you give your OK. In case you fail to say anything for a short period of time, good old Siri will automatically list near-by centers you can get help from immediately
John Draper, director of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network, applauded Apple’s efforts in trying to help depressed individuals:
"They were extremely excited and interested in helping, and they were very thorough about best approaches. We talked with a number of our national advisers and they advised us on key words that could better identify if a person was suicidal so it could then offer the Lifeline number."
Source: ABC News
