Facebook Part of New Suicide Prevention Strategy

People contemplating suicide will have another lifeline to use, another place to go to ask for help.

Facebook.

The social media Web site is a reason to live -- or at least company executives hope to be able to use Facebook as a platform to identify "suicidal comments," which will then be referred to a prevention hotline, according to Reuters.

"We have a unique opportunity to provide the right resources to our users in distress, when and where they need them most," said Marne Levine, Facebook's global vice president for public policy.

Suicides are "a growing public health issue," in particular among teens and U.S. military veterans, Reuters reported.

There were "17,754 suicide attempts among veterans last year -- about 48 a day -- up from 10,888 in 2009," according to Reuters.

Using the Facebook strategy, someone posting suicidal thoughts on their wall will receive an email, asking them to call a suicide prevention hotline.