Distraught over a poor grade that she thought would ruin her life, the honor-roll student broadcast her suicide for anyone to see. Hours later, she was in the inpatient psychiatric unit where I work, thanks to the quick thinking and action of anonymous viewers.
As a psychiatrist, I have seen a number of adolescents who tried to commit suicide. But this patient was a first. She decided to take her own life by overdosing on pills and share the event with strangers on Periscope, a live video-streaming mobile application. Fortunately, several people viewing her video stream called the police. They got to her in time, and she was brought to the emergency room.
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