Worrying about suicidal people online - ways to stop fearing the worst?

I have a thing when people online (real, or fake) say they are feeling suicidal or have attempted. What tips are there for us when someone online says this, to get closure or know if they are okay? Basically I want to know ways to find out an online stranger hasn’t died? Any tips or ideas?

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Mordechai · 31-35, M

You can't, and I'd say the best defense for you is to keep your boundaries. It's admirable to care but as someone who has supported a lot of suicidal people in my personal life, you have to protect yourself emotionally and know what your limit is.

BurningBright · 31-35, M

@Mordechai thank you. I hope it was a lie.

It happened on MySpace in 2009. I believe the person was lying as they were using photos of other people and I was messaged by multiple accounts in a pile-on attack. All the accounts had fake images of site-models.

In light of this, do you think I was lied to and no one attempted, or died? The fear has always stuck in my head that it was real - even if the people saying it had fake identities 😢