Suicide Contagion Research Articles

Suicide postvention: what mental health professionals need to know

Postvention is the term used to describe a package of interventions designed for people affected by suicide. Inpatient suicides in Departments of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry are rare, but nevertheless constitute an immense burden to family members, friends, and fellow patients, as well as to medical staff members. Besides including an effective management of the acute crisis situation with well-defined communication rules, appropriate interaction with the bereaved, and prevention of copycat suicides in other patients, reliable guidelines for dealing with inpatient suicide must also contain a precise procedure on how to handle mental stress in physicians, psychotherapists, and other staff members. Furthermore, postvention should be an important part of the professional training of physicians as well as psychotherapists who work in child and adolescent psychiatry departments or outpatient clinics.

Using Social Media to Identify Those With Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article CommentaryFull AccessUsing Social Media to Identify Those With Mental Illness and Substance Use DisordersShawn E. McNeil, M.D.Shawn E. McNeilSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:10 Mar 2017https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.111205AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail The increasingly invasive nature of modern social media platforms presents a unique opportunity for identifying individuals at risk for mental illness. Social media allows individuals to create material and to choose with whom they wish to share it (1). Like scenes leaping to life from the pages of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the drama and passion in the lives of today’s youths (and a growing number of adults) seem to jump from the edifices of their digital selves. These ideas, statements, links, and photographs sent out via social media comprise the digital persona of any given person.Social media presents a unique platform for identifying and interacting with persons suffering from mental illness. Computer algorithms can scan online profiles, seeking out the digital signs and symptoms of mental health issues. For example, DrugAbuse.com examined over 3 million posts on the social media site Instagram that were related to various music festivals and examined them for references to drug use. It found that 43% of posts about the Electric Daisy Carnival contained references to ecstasy (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and 82% of posts about Marley Fest contained references to marijuana (2). The direct correlation between music festival attendance and substance use disorder is a premature conclusion. However, the association may justify the use of targeted advertisements for substance use disorder treatment programs toward this population.Crisis Text Line is a crisis intervention service that connects individuals struggling with problems such as suicidal ideation, addiction, sexual abuse, and eating disorders with counselors, who field their text messages and help them navigate difficult situations. Data from the millions of texts received reveal trends that could be used to predict the likelihood of certain behaviors among persons reaching out for professional help. Thirty percent of texts this service receives are about suicide and depression. Language used in the texts may correlate with certain behaviors such as substance abuse or self-injurious activity (3).Although social media can be used to reach out to those with mental illness, we know that technology can also exacerbate crises. The “Werther effect,” also referred to as “contagion,” is a term describing the genesis of suicidal behavior spawned by media reports (4). This is an interesting phenomenon that should be addressed when clinicians are screening patients for suicide risk. Social media will affect the majority of our patients, such that we should hope to clarify its role as part of our social history taking.As mental health clinicians, we need to be aware of the connection between social media and human behavior. Scientists should be able to harness the predictive potential of these technologies in identifying those most vulnerable. We should seek to understand the significance of a patient’s interaction with social media when taking a thorough history. Future research should focus on the development of advanced algorithms that can efficiently identify the highest-risk individuals. Additionally, research into the effectiveness and appropriateness of various interventions should be done to guide clinicians and public health officials in finding the best way to engage these patients.Dr. McNeil is a first-year child and adolescent psychiatry fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, LSU Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, La.The author thanks Spencer Hansen, M.D., for insightful guidance on this commentary.

Spatial suicide clusters in Australia between 2010 and 2012: a comparison of cluster and non-cluster among young people and adults.

BackgroundA suicide cluster has been defined as a group of suicides that occur closer together in time and space than would normally be expected. We aimed to examine the extent to which suicide clusters exist among young people and adults in Australia and to determine whether differences exist between cluster and non-cluster suicides.MethodsSuicide data were obtained from the National Coronial Information System for the period 2010 and 2012. Data on date of death, postcode, age at the time of death, sex, suicide method, ICD-10 code for cause of death, marital status, employment status, and aboriginality were retrieved. We examined the presence of spatial clusters separately for youth suicides and adult suicides using the Scan statistic. Pearson’s chi-square was used to compare the characteristics of cluster suicides with non-cluster suicides.ResultsWe identified 12 spatial clusters between 2010 and 2012. Five occurred among young people (n = 53, representing 5.6% [53/940] of youth suicides) and seven occurred among adults (n = 137, representing 2.3% [137/5939] of adult suicides). Clusters ranged in size from three to 21 for youth and from three to 31 for adults. When compared to adults, suicides by young people were significantly more likely to occur as part of a cluster (difference = 3.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.8 to 4.8, p < 0.0001). Suicides by people with an Indigenous background were also significantly more likely to occur in a cluster than suicide by non-Indigenous people and this was the case among both young people and adults.ConclusionsSuicide clusters have a significant negative impact on the communities in which they occur. As a result it is important to find effective ways of managing and containing suicide clusters. To date there is limited evidence for the effectiveness of those strategies typically employed, in particular in Indigenous settings, and developing this evidence base needs to be a future priority. Future research that examines in more depth the socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with suicide clusters is also warranted in order that appropriate interventions can be developed.

Newspaper Reporting on a Cluster of Suicides in the UK.

Media reporting may influence suicide clusters through imitation or contagion. In 2008 there was extensive national and international newspaper coverage of a cluster of suicides in young people in the Bridgend area of South Wales, UK. To explore the quantity and quality of newspaper reporting during the identified cluster. Searches were conducted for articles on suicide in Bridgend for 6 months before and after the defined cluster (June 26, 2007, to September 16, 2008). Frequency, quality (using the PRINTQUAL instrument), and sensationalism were examined. In all, 577 newspaper articles were identified. One in seven articles included the suicide method in the headline, 47.3% referred to earlier suicides, and 44% used phrases that guidelines suggest should be avoided. Only 13% included sources of information or advice. A high level of poor-quality and sensationalist reporting was found during an ongoing suicide cluster at the very time when good-quality reporting could be considered important. A broad awareness of media guidelines and expansion and adherence to press codes of practice are required by journalists to ensure ethical reporting.

Werther vs. Papageno Effect Online: Randomized Controlled Trial of the Impact of Educative Suicide Prevention Websites on Suicide Risk Factors

Werther vs. Papageno Effect Online: Randomized Controlled Trial of the Impact of Educative Suicide Prevention Websites on Suicide Risk Factors

Responding to Trauma at Sea: A Case Study in Psychological First Aid, Unique Occupational Stressors, and Resiliency Self-Care.

The U.S. Navy deploys Special Psychiatric Rapid Intervention Teams (SPRINT) to sites of military disasters to assist survivors and the command. SPRINT functions primarily as a consultant to help commands effectively respond to the mental health needs of their service members following a traumatic event. Utilizing the principles of psychological first aid, the overall goal of SPRINT is to mitigate long-term mental health dysfunction and facilitate recovery at both the individual and unit level. We present a case study of a SPRINT mission to a deployed U.S. Navy ship in response to a cluster of suicides and subsequent concerns about the well-being of the remaining crew. Throughout this mission, important themes emerged, such as the impact of accumulated operational stressors and the subsequent development of mental health stigma. Also, this case study demonstrates the potential effectiveness of introducing resiliency self-care meditation training to remote environments that lack ready access to mental health resources. From here, SPRINT can provide a model for immediate disaster mental health response that has potential relevancy beyond the military.

Spatial Patterns and Neighborhood Characteristics of Overall Suicide Clusters in Florida From 2001 to 2010.

Although spatial examination of mortality and morbidity is becoming more common in health studies, the investigation of suicide death clusters within the neighborhood context is underutilized. The purpose of this ecological study is to detect high- and low-risk clusters of suicide deaths in Florida and determine which neighborhood characteristics distinguish clusters from non-clusters. The scan statistic method was used to detect overall clusters of completed suicides in Florida from 2001 to 2010. Regression analysis was used to investigate the association of neighborhood characteristics with identified clusters. All data synthesis and statistical analyses were conducted in 2015. Twenty-four high-risk and 25 low-risk clusters were identified. The risk of suicide was up to 3.4 times higher in high-risk clusters than in areas outside of clusters (relative risk ranged from 1.36 to 3.44, p≤0.05). Low-risk clusters were associated with 30%-94% decreased risk of suicide (relative risk ranged from 0.06 to 0.70, p≤0.05). Areas with high levels of elderly concentration and household singularity were more likely to be in high-risk clusters, whereas areas with higher economic deprivation and residential density were more likely to be in low-risk clusters. This study identified general suicide patterns across space in the state of Florida and described the characteristics of those areas.

Spatiotemporal study of elderly suicide in Korea by age cohort

ObjectivesThis study analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern and spatial diffusion of elderly suicide by age cohort, in Korea. Study designThe research investigated the elderly suicide rates of the 232 municipal units in South Korea between 2001 and 2011. MethodsThe Gi* score, which is a spatially weighted indicator of area attributes, was used to identify hot spots and the spatiotemporal pattern of elderly suicide in the nation during the last 10 years. The spatial Markov matrix and spatial dynamic panel data model were employed to identify and estimate the diffusion effect. ResultsThe suicide rate among elderly individuals 75 years and older was substantially higher than the rate for those between 65 and 74 years of age; however, the spatial patterns of the suicide clusters were similar between the two groups. From 2001 to 2011, the spatial distribution of elderly suicide hot spots differed each year. For both age cohorts, elderly suicide hot spots developed around the north area of South Korea in 2001 and moved to the mid-east area and the mid-western coastal area over 10 years. The spatial Markov matrix indicates that the change in the suicide rate of one area was affected by the suicide rates of neighbouring areas from the previous year, which suggests that suicide increase in one area inflates a neighbouring area's suicide rate over time. Using a spatial dynamic panel data model, elderly suicide diffusion effects were found to be statistically significant for both age cohorts even after economic and demographic indicators and a time variable are included. For individuals 75 years and older, the diffusion effect appeared to be larger. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that elderly suicide can spread spatially over time in both age cohorts. Thus, it is necessary to design a place-based and age-differentiated intervention policy that precisely considers the spatial diffusion of elderly suicide.

Characteristics of railway suicides in Canada and comparison with accidental railway fatalities: Implications for prevention

This study presents and compares the prevalence and characteristics of rail-related suicide and other railway fatalities in Canada over 10years, from 1999 to 2008. The methodology involved in-depth data analysis of records from provincial coroner and medical examiner’s investigations, railway company reports and Transportation Safety Board data. We identify physical risk factors and psychosocial descriptions of people who commit suicide and compared them to accidental (non-suicide) railway fatalities in order to identify at-risk populations and better target and elaborate railway suicide prevention strategies. We identified 460 accidental deaths and 428 suicides. Most people (94.7%) died on the site of the incident, although not always immediately. Canada does not have any specific locations with high incidence suicide or accidents clusters. We conclude that impairment of some type, by illness, substance abuse or intoxication, advanced age or immature youth, play an important role in a significant number of accidents, suggesting that more intense warnings of approaching trains may help prevent accidental deaths. Mental illness, although often being treated, is associated with the majority of suicide fatalities, and more than one-third of suicides occur on rails near psychiatric facilities, suggesting targeted prevention strategies in facilities near rails and at track locations in proximity to mental health facilities.What is already known on this subject:–In other countries we have basic data on location, time and date, gender, age and some basic epidemiological characteristics of railway fatalities, usually combining suicides and accidental fatalities in studies of collisions or Person Under Train (PUT) incidents.–Hotspots for suicides have been identified in Europe, often near psychiatric facilities.What this study adds:–We provide more in-depth information on fatality victims from analyses of detailed coroners’ investigations and industry reports on all railway fatalities in Canada over an extended period of ten years.–We compare characteristics of deaths by suicide with accident fatalities in order to develop specific recommendations for prevention programmes that consider the specific characteristics of each type of fatality.–Our approach provides a model for developing prevention strategies based upon in-depth comparative analyses of suicides and accident fatalities to adapt prevention approaches to characteristics unique to a country or location, and the different characteristics of people who die on railways by suicide and in accidental fatalities.

Prevention of suicidal behavior

More than 800 000 people die every year from suicide, and about 20 times more attempt suicide. In most countries, suicide risk is highest in older males, and risk of attempted suicide is highest in younger females. The higher lethal level of suicidal acts in males is explained by the preference for more lethal methods, as well as other factors. In the vast majority of cases, suicidal behavior occurs in the context of psychiatric disorders, depression being the most important one. Improving the treatment of depression, restricting access to lethal means, and avoiding the Werther effect (imitation suicide) are central aspects of suicide prevention programs. In several European regions, the four-level intervention concept of the European Alliance Against Depression (www.EAAD.net), simultaneously targeting depression and suicidal behavior, has been found to have preventive effects on suicidal behavior. It has already been implemented in more than 100 regions in Europe.

Clusters of suicides and suicide attempts: detection, proximity and correlates.

A suicide cluster is defined as a higher number of observed cases occurring in space and/or time than would typically be expected. Previous research has largely focused on identifying clusters of suicides, while there has been comparatively limited research on clusters of suicide attempts. We sought to identify clusters of both types of behaviour, and having done that, identify the factors that distinguish suicide attempts inside a cluster from those that were outside a cluster. We used data from Western Australia from 2000 to 2011. We defined suicide attempts as admissions to hospital for deliberate self-harm and suicides as deaths due to deliberate self-harm. Using an analytic strategy that accounted for the repetition of attempted suicide within a cluster, we performed spatial-temporal analysis using Poisson discrete scan statistics to detect clusters of suicide attempts and clusters of suicides. Logistic regression was then used to compare clustered attempts with non-clustered attempts to identify risk factors for an attempt being in a cluster. We detected 350 (1%) suicide attempts occurring within seven spatial-temporal clusters and 12 (0.6%) suicides occurring within two spatial-temporal clusters. Both of the suicide clusters were located within a larger but later suicide attempt cluster. In multivariate analysis, suicide attempts by individuals who lived in areas of low socioeconomic status had higher odds of being in a cluster than those living in areas of high socioeconomic status [odds ratio (OR) = 29.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.3-135.5]. A one percentage-point increase in the proportion of people who had changed address in the last year was associated with a 60% increase in the odds of the attempt being within a cluster (OR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.29-1.98) and a one percentage-point increase in the proportion of Indigenous people in the area was associated with a 7% increase in the suicide being within a cluster (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.00-1.13). Age, sex, marital status, employment status, method of harm, remoteness, percentage of people in rented accommodation and percentage of unmarried people were not associated with the odds of being in a suicide attempt cluster. Early identification of and responding to suicide clusters may reduce the likelihood of subsequent clusters forming. The mechanisms, however, that underlie clusters forming is poorly understood.

Peut-on faire du journaliste un acteur de la prévention du suicide ?

IntroductionAfter more than 50 years of dedicated research, media coverage of suicide is now well known to have a significant influence on the suicide epidemiology. This influence is supposed to result from two opposite effects. The Werther effect (WE) refers to the robust increase of suicide rates following the publication of a suicide story. This specific kind of mass cluster implies a suggestion process, i.e. imitation of the depicted death by vulnerable persons. In contract, the preventive potential of medias has been labeled the “Papageno effect” (PE). Although more recently discovered and far less known, PE predicts that journalists can help prevent suicidal behaviors beyond a simple WE reduction. Because PE and WE directly bridge journalistic productions to suicidal events, several national and international health organisms (including the World Health Organization) started to see the media as new prevention opportunities. In this paper, we intend to assess the extent to which journalists can be considered as public health actors in the specific field of suicide prevention. MethodsBased on a critical review of the so-called Media effect studies, we explore the opportunities, limits and constraints of collaborating with media professionals for public health actions. For that purpose, we focus on the main strategy employed so far, namely providing recommendations for more cautious coverage of suicide. An overview of the efficacy of these recommendations serves not only as a starting point for understanding how public health and journalistic perspectives can confront, but also how they can be combined in a fertile way. ResultsNumerous suicide prevention organisms developed strategies in order to assist journalists in reporting suicide stories in a safer way. As a formal support to these strategies, around 30 national or international guides have been produced around the word, with the shared aim of reducing WE and, eventually, promoting PE. The recommendations about articles’ style and content that compose these guides were shown to be similar across the countries. They mostly meet public health concerns, rest on the available knowledge about the two effects’ determinants and thus advocate for a less quantitatively and qualitatively prominent coverage. However, the way the guides were produced and implemented shows considerable variations. While most countries solely edited and/or distributed the recommendations with no complementary measures, several organisms associated their publication with promotion actions towards the journalists and general public. Evidence for the impact of the guides’ publication on suicide rates, although encouraging, are seriously limited by methodological considerations. As a consequence, their efficacy is more often assessed in terms of media compliance to the recommendations. The extent to which media items respect the guidelines depends considerably on the way journalists are invited – or not – to resort to them. While the strategy seems inefficient when limited to a simple publication, the quality of suicide portrayal significantly improves when the guides are part of a whole prevention campaign dealing with suicide coverage. Moreover the journalist's implication at each step of the process seems a crucial point for its success. DiscussionMedia professionals are submitted to their own codes, constraints and missions which do not necessarily fit with public health concerns. If considered as prescriptions to reduce the suicide rates, journalists might see recommendations for a more cautious coverage to be a threat to their independence, thus accounting for their non-compliance. On the other hand, a real collaborative approach based on shared skills and knowledge could help sensitize journalists to a responsibility that PE and WE inevitably give them. Under these conditions, recommendations can become a precious resource to help media professional when facing a sensitive issue and finally contribute to fight against suicide.

Does Media Coverage of a Celebrity Suicide Trigger Copycat Suicides?: Evidence from Korean Cases

ABSTRACTThis article investigates the link between media coverage of celebrity suicides and the nation’s suicide rate. The instrumental variable regression is applied to suicide data from Statistics Korea and the media coverage data on celebrity suicides from Mediagaon of the Korea Press Foundation during the period from 1997 to 2009. The estimation results demonstrate that Korean celebrity suicides have significantly increased suicide rates, whereas non-Korean celebrity suicides have not. Moreover, greater media coverage of Korean celebrity suicides is associated with an increase in suicide rates. These findings shed light on the importance of media policy in the prevention of copycat suicides.

The power of (Mis)perception: Rethinking suicide contagion in youth friendship networks

Suicide is a leading cause of death among youth. In the wake of peer suicide, youth are vulnerable to suicide contagion. But, questions remain about the mechanisms through which suicide spreads and the accuracy of youths' estimates of friends' suicidal behaviors. This study addresses these questions within school-aged youths' friendship networks. Social network data were drawn from two schools in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, from which 2180 youth in grades 7–12 nominated up to ten friends. A measure of “perceived” friends' attempted suicide was constructed based on respondents' reports of their friends' attempted suicide. This measure was broader than a “true” measure of friends' attempted suicide, constructed from self-reports of nominated friends who attended respondents' schools. Sociograms graphically represented the accuracy with which suicide attempters estimated friends' suicide attempts. Results from cross-tabulation with Chi-square analysis indicated that approximately 4% of youth (88/2180) attempted suicide, and these youth disproportionately misperceived (predominantly overestimated) friends' suicidal behaviors, compared to non-suicide-attempters. Penalized logistic regression models indicated that friends' self-reported attempted suicide was unrelated to respondent attempted suicide. But, the odds of respondent attempted suicide were 2.54 times higher (95% CI, 1.06–6.10) among youth who accurately perceived friends' attempted suicide, and 5.40 times higher (95% CI, 3.34–8.77) among youth who overestimated friends' attempted suicide. The results suggest that at-risk youth overestimate their friends' suicidal behaviors, which exacerbates their own risk of suicidal behavior. Methodologically, this suggests that a continued collaboration among network scientists, suicide researchers, and medical providers is necessary to further examine the mechanisms surrounding this phenomenon. Practically, it is important to screen at-risk youth for exposure to peer suicide and to use the social environment created by adolescent friendship networks to empower and support youth who are susceptible to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The “sick-lit” question and the death education answer. Papageno versus Werther effects in adolescent suicide prevention

Abstract This study analyzes the “sick-lit” narrative phenomenon, a story writing genre rooted in self-harm and suicide, which seems to be gaining remarkable popularity amongst adolescents. This success is a symptom of young people’s need to address the issue of death. The qualitative research was composed of two parts: the first explored the ambivalent representation of sick-lit on the internet, where two opposing factions argue about its educative usefulness vs. its potentially dangerous copycat effect. The second part investigated six novels and their representations of self-harm, death, sufferance and suicide. The analysis confuted the idea that sick-lit may be a positive instrument for making adolescents aware of mortality and showed the need to transform the Werther risk effect into the Papageno possibility by exploring the content of these books with adolescents in death education courses.

Suicide Reporting on Front Pages of Major Newspapers in Taiwan Violating Reporting Recommendations Between 2001 and 2012

ABSTRACTMedia reporting can lead to the acceptance of incorrect ideas and information by the general public, which in turn can impact behavior. A number of studies have found that suicide reporting in the media can lead to an increase in the suicide rate or copycat suicides. Therefore, the aims of this study are to (a) investigate front-page reporting of suicide in four major newspapers in Taiwan; (b) investigate violation of recommendations for reporting suicide by the four major newspapers in Taiwan; and (c) investigate the impact of important events and government policy on front-page reporting of suicide (i.e., the effect of the Apple Daily newspaper entering the market, and the start of media monitoring). We carried out content analysis of reports of suicide on the front pages of the four newspapers with the highest rates of readership in Taiwan (China Times, Liberty Times, Apple Daily, and United Daily News) between 2001 and 2012. We used the chi-squared test, chi-squared test for trend, and analysis of variance to analyze trends in violation of reporting recommendations and potential associated factors. We found that (a) suicide was most commonly reported as a front-page headline and as a whole-page spread by the four major newspapers in Taiwan, with many reports including photographs; (b) reporting of suicide by the four major newspapers in Taiwan frequently violated World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for suicide reporting in the media; (c) following the entry of the Apple Daily newspaper into the Taiwanese market, reporting approaches to suicide by the other three major newspapers changed to more sensational photos and texts; and (d) monitoring of suicide reporting by the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center appears to have been only partially effective. In summary, reporting of suicide by the four major newspapers in Taiwan could be further improved. Effective regulation of suicide reporting by newspapers could reduce the impact of this reporting on readers. In addition, regular assessment of observance of the WHO recommendations for suicide reporting by newspapers is an important part of suicide prevention.

Papageno program: When learners collaborate for a safer coverage of suicide

Media coverage of suicide has been repeatedly shown to influence suicide rates. The Werther Effect (WE) qualifies the propensity of suicide stories to prompt imitative behaviors. By contrast, the Papageno effect (PE) was more recently identified as a way for journalists to contribute to suicide prevention through their productions. Crucially, both WE and PE depend on the quantitative (audience, redundancies, size of articles, etc.) and qualitative (type of story, editorial style, content, etc.) properties of the coverage.In order to promote the PE and limit the WE, the World Health Organization (WHO) have edited a guideline for media professionals. For instance, journalists are advised to prohibit sensationalism, avoid pictures or details about the suicide method, and show due respect to the bereaved relatives. However, it is now clear that the only chance for these recommendations to be applied is to integrate their diffusion into a more general effort toward collaboration with journalists.Papageno is a French national suicide prevention program that fully relies on learners to rise awareness about suicide and its coverage. It mainly consists in pair-meetings between psychiatry trainees and journalism students. Such an innovative formula breaks with the old top-down knowledge transmission model in order to foster personalized and sustainable sensitization. It aims at growing up a new generation of journalists who would be more aware of their responsibility concerning suicide and would more spontaneously resort to the WHO guidelines. Ultimately, the Papageno program strives for the creation of a new culture where journalists and psychiatrist would collaborate for a safer media coverage of suicide.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

CDC convening investigation into ‘suicide cluster’ in Palo Alto

Mental Health WeeklyVolume 26, Issue 8 p. 5-5 Articles CDC convening investigation into ‘suicide cluster’ in Palo Alto Valerie A. Canady, Valerie A. CanadySearch for more papers by this author Valerie A. Canady, Valerie A. CanadySearch for more papers by this author First published: 23 February 2016 https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.30515Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume26, Issue822 February 2016Pages 5-5 RelatedInformation

Farmer Suicides on Rise in India: Causes and Consequences

Suicide is caused by many factors and there is empirical evidence to believe that this phenomenon could be a contagion in India, where farmers are committing copycat suicides. Rising farmer suicides on erratic monsoon, outstanding loans, rising debt, low crop yield, poor procurement rate of crops and successive crop failure. According to the IB, the main reason of farmers ’suicides can be attributed to both natural and manmade factors. While natural factors like uneven rains, hailstorm, drought and floods adversely affect crop yield, the manmade factors, i.e. pricing policies and inadequate marketing facilities result in post-yield losses. Consequences of rural indebtedness are disastrous. Economically, rural indebtedness has resulted in the extreme poverty of the farmers (esp. marginal and small farmers) The all-India report titled ‘Spate of Cases of Suicide by Farmers ’emphasizes how government relief packages are of limited use as they do not address the plight of farmers who borrow from private moneylenders. Whether the environment is favourable or unfavourable, farmers always faces losses. Due to continuation of this condition and failure on state and central government in taking effective measures to protect and help to farmers to overcome on this barriers. Most of them became bankrupt and burden of heavy repayment of Debts and other family responsibilities forces them to commit suicides. It also suggests creation of alternative source of income for farmers by way of non-farming activities like dairy, poultry, fisheries etc.

Copycat Suicide Induced by Entertainment Celebrity Suicides in South Korea.

ObjectiveThroughout the past several years, there have been a number of entertainment celebrity suicides in South Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the clustering of suicides following celebrities' suicides in South Korea from 2005 to 2008, particularly according to certain characteristics.MethodsSeven celebrity suicides were examined and defined using the Korean Integrated Newspaper Database System (KINDS) and from these, we considered four affected periods occurring 28 days after each celebrity's suicide. A Poisson time-series autoregression model was used to estimate the relative risk of the total suicide number for each affected period from 2005 to 2008. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate whether there were specific increases in the numbers of suicides in subgroups matching each celebrity.ResultsThere were significant increases in the risk of suicide during the affected periods. Remarkable increases were found in the subgroups matching each celebrity, especially in the group in which all factors (sex, age, and method) were similar.ConclusionThis study provides confirmation that a significant copycat effect was induced by these celebrities' suicides, especially among people who identified more with the celebrities. This implies that countermeasures for upright media coverage of celebrity suicides should be discussed and practiced properly in South Korea.