Media Coverage of a Celebrity Suicide Could Bring a Large-Scale Copycat Effect

Media coverage of the suicide of a national actress in South Korea and its impact on subsequent suicides was analysed by researchers. They found that the number of suicide-related articles surged around 80 times in the week after a suicide compared with the week prior.

Many articles (37.1%) violated several critical items on the World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines, like containing a detailed suicide method. The investigators estimated that there were approximately 430 excess suicides during the 4 weeks after her death due to media coverage.

Number of 'Suicide Tourism' to Switzerland Doubled
In 2012, a total of 172 suicide tourists traveled to Switzerland, which is double the 2009 number. The visit was aimed to die with medical assistance, a practice is prohibited in most countries.

"This figure is the largest record of cases relating to copycat suicides that has been reported to academic journals," said Weon-Young Lee, co-author of the Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior study. "Most gender and age subgroups were at significantly higher risk of suicide."

Source-Eurekalert

Overview Suicide
Suicide is an act of ending one's own life and it usually results from emotional isolations and inability to adjust and cope with one's environment.

Parents' Suicide Attempt Might Prompt Teenagers
The risk of youngsters attempting suicide is higher if a parent has been treated for mental illness or if a parent has attempted suicide.

Preventing Suicide Attempts and Deaths With Research
Useful recommendations for research to inform effective suicide prevention is provided in a new supplement to the September issue of AJPM, addressing the state of the science on suicide prevention.