Impact d’Internet sur la suicidalité. À propos d’une « googling study » sur la rétro-information médiatique d’un pacte suicidaire échafaudé sur le Web

Abstract

The communication via the Internet does not stop developing in a more and more mediatized society. On reaction to a suicide pact recently concluded on line, the media wondered about the responsibility of the Internet as promoter of suicide. When a suicide pact is decided on the Internet between two subjects which never saw each other previously but which meet to die: We speak about “cybersuicide” or “net suicide”. This modern practice would be increased. The suicide pact is an outstanding event, which is intensely mediatized in Web sites dedicated to journalism (on-line press). The authors established a review of the literature on the links between Internet and suicidality. In a first part, they evoke the epidemiological and psychopathological determiners of the cybersuicide. Particularly isolated subjects in real life can find a morbid comfort on the Net, and develop a real addiction to a cyberrelation. The victims often suffer from a narcissistic gap imaginating in the other one an ultimate propping up in a mutual accompaniment towards the death. Several authors evoked for a long time the impact of the media communication on the suicide as a supplier or a defender of suicide in the readers of newspapper's articles. The authors expose the results of a “ googling study” asking itself the way how the media available on the Web reported the cybersuicide realized near the town of Toul. Are the recommendations of the OMS on the way of telling in the media of a suicidal fact respected? On ten visited on line press sites, only one takes the opportunity of the event to educate the general population about the suicide fact. In most cases, the address and phone number of crisis’ center are not mentioned, the information on the localization of the drama is too precise, the presented photos are shocking and the suicidal event doesn’t take place in a more diverse current events. In a last part, the authors tackle the increasing interest of the Web when it's use in purposes of prevention. It would be advisable to reaffirm the legal view to condemn the settled cybercrime known as promotion of suicide. If the Web can sometimes be dangerous for the Internet users, it is also a tremendous potential for suicide prevention. The sites of prevention have to inform the general population, help establishing databases for the professionals of health and still realize epidemiological inquiries. The Internet programs of prevention for patients with suicidal tendencies were established at the same time as the concept of “telephone help line”. The therapeutic and preventive potential of the Web is situated in a logic of bifocal treatment – and not in a rivalry – with the traditional psychotherapeutic approach. The links between Internet and suicidality are emergent, complex and little studied. Far thinking that the Web is a place of no law where everything would be possible, some regulations should be able to be imposed by authorities to preserve the public health.