Well, over the internet, my first reaction to any statement is to not believe them. I read what they are trying to say and respond in the way I think would best help the situation. I don't typically try to aid depressed (or impersonators) people on the forums because most forumers are liars. It's too easy to trick people here. On mmos I'm a bit more lenient and I will act sincerely helpful even if they are faking it. Because if one of those one hundred people were actually going to kill themselves, it'd be worth it.
That being said, the only way to know if someone is lying or not is to go by your intuition, because most things here have to be understood at face value.

Super Toys Last All Summer Long!