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US Suicides Spiked 10 Percent After Robin Williams's Death, Study Finds (bbc.com)
dryriver shares a report from the BBC: U.S. suicide rates spiked in the months after Robin Williams killed himself in 2014, according to researchers. In the five months after the actor's death there were 10% more suicides than might be expected, or 1,841 extra cases, PLOS One journal reports. The potential risk of copycat incidents after celebrity cases is known to public health bodies. It cannot be known for certain if his death led to the spike but it appeared to be connected, the new study said. Experts say "irresponsible" media coverage of suicides can play a big part in copycat cases. At the time of his death, the Samaritans warned about a large number of news articles giving too much detail about the nature of his suicide, against media guidelines. Guidance from the World Health Organization, the Independent Press Standards Organization's editors' code of practice, the Ofcom broadcasting code and the BBC's editorial guidelines all advise against going into explicit detail about the methods used. However, researchers said there was "substantial evidence" that many media outlets had tended to deviate from these guidelines.
For the latest study, they looked at the monthly suicide rates from the U.S. government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between January 1999 and December 2015 to see if there had been a spike. They found there were 18,690 suicides between August and December 2014 compared with the 16,849 cases they would have expected. In the weeks after Williams's death, there was a "drastic" increase in references to suicide and death in news media reports, as well as more posts on an internet suicide forum researchers monitored, the study found. David Fink, one of the study's authors, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said research had previously shown that suicide rates increased following a high-profile celebrity suicide, but this was a first time such a study had been done within the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Lorna Fraser, from the Samaritans' media advisory service, said: "This study builds on a strong body of research evidence that shows that irresponsible or overly detailed depictions of suicide can have a devastating impact. In the case of celebrities, the potential for someone at risk to make an emotional connection and over-identify with them is greater, in some cases even to interpret their death as affirmation that they could take their own life."
For the latest study, they looked at the monthly suicide rates from the U.S. government Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between January 1999 and December 2015 to see if there had been a spike. They found there were 18,690 suicides between August and December 2014 compared with the 16,849 cases they would have expected. In the weeks after Williams's death, there was a "drastic" increase in references to suicide and death in news media reports, as well as more posts on an internet suicide forum researchers monitored, the study found. David Fink, one of the study's authors, from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said research had previously shown that suicide rates increased following a high-profile celebrity suicide, but this was a first time such a study had been done within the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Lorna Fraser, from the Samaritans' media advisory service, said: "This study builds on a strong body of research evidence that shows that irresponsible or overly detailed depictions of suicide can have a devastating impact. In the case of celebrities, the potential for someone at risk to make an emotional connection and over-identify with them is greater, in some cases even to interpret their death as affirmation that they could take their own life."
There's no need to go into the specific physical details about a suicide. Some things are beneath the collective human dignity of society to pore over at length. It's unfortunate that we would even need to consider legislating something like that.
A cousin committed suicide. It is something you’d think happens to other families, until it happens in your own family.
By our understanding his close family was living and caring, they didn’t expect it. Only when looking back afterwards they realised that he had gradually become more serious.
We wondered it we could have prevented it. Linking back to the article, I feel it is important to indeed not overly detail a celebrity’s suicide and to stress the professional help and counseling that exists. Anything to lower the barrier to seeking out help is welcome.
People in the state of mind or enough pain, to want to kill themselves, should be allowed to do so - it's their life. Also given the state of over-population in some countries, suicide should even be encouraged and assisted. Don't act offended or point your finger at me - you are thinking it too.
Crime Rates Increased 21 Percent...
in the weeks following my Great Uncle Joe's death.
I'm pretty sure (sciencey-sure not bullshitty-sure!) that my Great Uncle Joe was Batman! This was many years ago, however, so provolone cheese consumption yesterday might (or might not!) have had anything to do with his death (or super hero status). I choose to believe one thing and not the other. I am also statistically the smartest person I know. Kinda like u.
I would be curious to know if there is any correlation between an increase in population density and the number of suicides. Also interesting would be suicide rates pre and post social media days.
Thinking about it a knew / know a surprising number of people who have taken that road or attempted to take that road. Most "seemed" normal enough.
It is hard to imagine how people get to the state of overriding their self-preservation instincts.
By the time the court case is done, that'll be worth US$0.00 between them.
Not sure how they intend to pay for the lawyers.
And one known to have depression, too. You monsters.
i could live a little longer in this prison
1 bitcoin is worth $8300 right now, and is still up 800% from one year ago.
snark fail.
i could live a little longer in this prison
So you want to kill yourself, but you won't do it because you're afraid the police will arrest you after?
That's a special kind of stupid.
It's perfectly logical. They want to end it because their life is shit, and they're worried that if they get caught trying to end it, the police will make their life more shit. You're a special kind of asshole.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
The sheer weirdness of slashdot trolls never cease to amaze.
Admit nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counter-accusations.
... and when his family and friends found his body, they made it look like a suicide.
I've attempted suicide and failed at it. The more coverage suicide gets, the more people come out saying it's only for cowards. Only lazy people do it. The people are selfish. Etc... The perceived attacks against oneself are enough to drive you to suicide. Not only do you already have the poorest self image, everyone else is saying you're even worse. There's nothing lazy about being suicidal depressed. Sometimes you literal have no energy to do anything, Just tossing a meal in the microwave can feels like trying to walk to the moon. You just can't do it.
Being selfish? FUCK YOU. The person is currently living in hell and those around him/her can't even bother to notice. Why should I live in unending torment just so you don't have the inconvenience of maybe attending a funeral? You're the selfish brat. Plus some of us feel the world would be a better place without us so we're actually making your life better by dying. That's not selfish either. You go kill yourself to reduce your carbon footprint.
Me a coward? I bet you can't even fake trying to killing yourself. Hold some scissors and hang yourself for one minute or just slash a light cut all the way down your arm. Go head, do it. You won't die doing those things but you won't be able to bring yourself to do them. If a lazy coward can do that and more, what kind of low life scum are you? Your suicidal coward has more bravery than you.
Of course the suicidal person is dead so everyone blames the victim so they can feel better. I understand that. But doing so causes more suicides and makes us depressed people hide due to social fear. Anyone who successfully commits suicide on purpose deserves your respect. It's a hard thing to do, especially considering doing anything while depressed is already difficult. People 'suddenly' kill themselves because bringing the topic up means everyone around you attacks you whether they realize it or not. Best to stay silent and hidden. Then you may have a chance without everyone you know being directly against you. How many times have you blamed someone who committed suicide? If anyone around you is depressed they know to hide it from you and anyone who talks with you. We've got enough grief to deal with already.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
That doesn't matter. Back in 2009 it was all I could do not to put on a Batman costume and hang myself.
I only put one space after the period. Sorry everyone!
Hmm... let's see, what do we have on TV? Horror stories about war and strife, domestic and abroad, in the news. Various lowlifes yelling at each other in afternoon talkshows. "Celebrities" that have bigger boobs than brains, and whose only reason for their celebrity status is those built-in airbags and the airheads on top of them. Shows where we worship people for being able to pull off weird stunts or entertain us in some other way. And sitcoms that celebrate idiocy, a hedonistic lifestyle and unemployment, with what used to be called "successful people" being the butt of the jokes.
Maybe it is the media's fault?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Quite a lot of them do at the very least a very good impression of mental illness. Many seem to have overwhelming obsessive hatreds that consume their lives and fill them with constant anger. Very unhealthy. Even with ACs you can often tell (95% certainty) when it's the same person, who posts exactly the same words showing hatred/disgust about a particular issue on every thread regardless of any relevance - and carries on, sometimes for months, often getting no replies positive or negative.. That's not trolling or flamebait, it's obsessive illness or something, posting to scratch some sort of unbearable mental itch.
(Yeah, and that's not to say it's wrong to be upset or angry about certain things - it's the obsession that's the problem).
"In the case of celebrities, the potential for someone at risk to make an emotional connection and over-identify with them is greater, in some cases even to interpret their death as affirmation that they could take their own life."
As children, we are taught to value certain "famous" people, such as athletes, actors, musicians, politicians, etc. As adults, many continue a fixation with "famous" people. At some point I decided none of these "famous" people had much of worth to add to society and many seemed to have a lot more problems (drugs, crime, inappropriate behaviors, stupendous greed, much more) than I did, so I ended my fixations. I am my own person and I really don't give a rat's ass about anyone "famous." Prior to my learning to ignore "famous" people, I very much respected Robin Williams' talents, especially his amazing ability at improvisation. I am sorry for his suicide, but I have no wish to join him.
Perhaps there's a lesson herein.
Circle the wagons and fire inward. Entropy increases without bounds.
My grandma, who was an atheist commie, used to say that after having invested two decades of hard work into raising a human being it is a great waste to have someone killed in a second. So simply from economic perspective suicides don't make sense.
I don't see the summary or the article indicating that the increased suicides were all done using the same method as Robin Williams. If they were, that would support the implication that the reporting should be less detailed about the method. If it was just a general uptick in suicide across all methods, though, then it seems like wishful thinking to claim that it would have been averted if only outlets had been more responsible. If the increase was due more to thinking along the lines of "If Robin Williams can do it, then I can too", then it's difficult to report on it at all without causing an impact.
Yes, the truth must be hidden from the slaves, so that they'll think they have hope, so that they'll keep chruning at the factories.
Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
Considering the fact that rightwingers have been sending men to die in wars for years while women are safe back home, I would say that this hardly only the left's worldview.
Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
You don't need drugs to kill yourself. There are quicker, faster, less painful and way more fun ways to die.
I would highly recommend you call the national suicide hotline or seek counseling first though, if after all is said and done, you still feel you would rather not be alive, I think it should be perfectly legal to do that, especially if it prevents further pain and suffering in the person's life, but I would make sure that everyone has the option to at least get counseling and other mental health support.
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Or the worst case outcome in my mind - becoming a turnip and instead of you having to deal with the burden of your shitty existence, someone else has to wipe your ass.
I see my shadow changing, stretching up and over me...
At least in those games you still have to DO something to achieve something. Sometimes you even have to use your brain.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Truth? What truth is there in a dud bombshell with huge tits? Is that what you want your kids to learn, it doesn't matter what's between your ears or whether you know how to use it, what matters is that you know how to use what's between your legs?
This is what we base our society on. What do you get out of the media these days? Fear, hate, tits and the weather report.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
As someone who lost a friend recently to strangulation of some kind, I fucking hoped autoerotic asphyxiation was the cause. It still would have meant the loss of my friend, but it would at least make _some_ fucking sense. Embarrassing or whatever, it beats the hell out of a 2 sentence note that leaves more questions than answers.
I see my shadow changing, stretching up and over me...
They wouldn't play it if people didn't watch it and sit through the ads...
I see my shadow changing, stretching up and over me...
Most taboos about suicide are religion-centric, but it's actually illegal to attempt and succeed. Why can't we just acknowledge that some people don't want to live anymore and actually help them out? Some obvious examples:
- Someone dealing with a terminal illness that will destroy them slowly over many painful years, or destroy their minds like dementia or Alzheimer's disease
- Someone facing a lifetime prison sentence
- Someone who's so badly depressed, unable to affect it via medication or other means, and just done with life.
Less obvious examples include what's coming next...unfortunately, we're entering an era where doing everything right, getting a good education and keeping out of trouble doesn't guarantee stability. I work at a company that has a lot of long-term employees, and they're starting to lay them off in their 50s. Imagine being 55, 4.5 years from the age where you can start using your retirement accounts penalty-free and 7 years from the age where you can start drawing your Social Security benefits. The job you've been at for 20+ years kicks you out, and no one wants to hire you because of your age. If you can't get SS disability or something similar, your life is going to be miserable from that point on. Suicides among this group are definitely going to spike once automation really comes for all the knowledge workers.
is a common joke phrase I used to think nothing about. A friend of mine with a history of mental illness in his family pointed out that the reason depressed people cut themselves is that the only way to get mental health services without a boatload of cash is to be an active danger to yourself or others. Not 'could be a danger' but actually a danger; e.g. you need evidence that you're going to something violent in the next 24 hours.
Basically the mentally ill will hurt themselves when they feel an attack coming on so they can get help. This is the would we live in folks.
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Why should network bother paying for high profile shows with good production values when they can get more net profit out of scripted reality shows that cost less than a board dinner? Yes, you could get better ratings for the expensive shows, but the difference in ratings is so small that you still net more money with slightly lower ad revenue but considerably lower programming cost.
A few months ago, the head of a big German TV network called his core target audience "a little fat, a little poor" in a telco with shareholders and got fire... I mean, it was suggested to him to reorient himself employment-wise. Even though it's true. Everyone who does give a shit what's on TV did already dump "old school" TV networks in favor or Netflix, Amazon and whatever other streaming services exist. What's left as the viewers of classic TV networks is those that are too lazy or too poor to pull the plug and watch those shows they want to see when they want to see them.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
What's wrong with tits and weather report? And as for fear and hate, I believe that libertarians, christians, muslims, jews, vegans, feminists, preached them before modern media existed.
Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
I don't have a citation for the stats...but I read that when suicides are widely reported, airplanes start falling from the sky.
I am not joking. The rate of airplane crashes goes up after such stories. It's the same phenomenon that the summary discusses: people who are on the edge get pushed over the edge when they see stories about others committing suicide. And that includes depressed airplane pilots.
What's wrong with it is that this is ALL that is left. No information. No education. Nothing of substance.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
It matters what's between her tits. Preferably, my ears.
Have gnu, will travel.
Bread and circuses.
Have gnu, will travel.
Or the worst case outcome in my mind - becoming a turnip and instead of you having to deal with the burden of your shitty existence, someone else has to wipe your ass.
That's the worst-case outcome for society, but if you're a vegetable, do you know you're a vegetable?
In any case, a certain percentage of people will probably always try to kill themselves, but I bet it could be a lot lower in our society if it were less of a rat race.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
When I was 17 a childhood friend of mine committed suicide. His name was Robert Craig. He also killed his stepfather. I had known the guy since 2nd grade, we had been best friends for a while. Thing is, the warning signs were all there, to anybody who knew to look.
When we were 14 he told me that the only reason he didn't kill himself was that he was afraid of disappointing his step father.
When we were 16 he once took a hunting knife and cut himself on his upper arm to see what would happen. Turns out this is very common among suicidal people: they are testing out techniques to see what will work, what hurts, etc.
In the summer of 1997 he was really depressed and angry all the time. He turned 18 in August and suddenly the depression cleared up and for a couple weeks and he was really happy, talkative, went to parties and so on. Again a classic warning sign: the suicidal person feels great relief once they've decided to do it.
Beginning in September he started giving his stuff away, and told his mom not to buy the new car he'd been asking for. He gave me his SNES. It was old, but we'd spent a lot of time playing games on it. Another sign: he was giving tokens to people he wanted to remember him.
Mid-month, on a Saturday, we were at a party and he told everybody, including me, that he was going to off himself. Another classic sign: a last plea for help. We laughed it off.
He did it on a Tuesday, if I remember correctly. My high school counselor called my mom the next morning, and I didn't go to school for a couple of day, I was sad.
Years later, when I was in the Army, we had suicide prevention training. It blew my mind: only then did I learn what a classic case Robbie was. If I had known in high school what I learned a few years later, both my friend and his stepdad would be alive. I felt pretty guilty for a while, but I was a kid then and I did not know any better. But if the "Personal Survival" classes had spent one hour teaching us about suicide instead of exhorting us not to drink alcohol, hundreds or thousands of kids could live every year.
I lost my pictures of him in a house fire. Incidentally, he went to Columbine High School. A year and a half later a couple of nutjobs shot the place up, and since my friend was a metal head some people tried to link him to it. So the school won't even answer requests to get a copy of his senior photo.
Education for what? Which information? Who decides?
Avantgarde Hebrew science fiction
The Suicide rate in an average American High School is worse than a Chinese Foxconn factory, yet Americans complain about the Chinese and never look to their own house.
Learn to love Alaska
I had a close friend who announced that he would hang himself in one year if his music didn't sell. In fact he did it. He refused to get help and did not believe that any real help was available. Laws regarding mental health make it next to impossible to put people in a controlled environment until real therapy is applied. The right to not be in a mental hospital has now trumped the right to life. There really are people who have a real need to kill themselves but most suicides are not such cases. Certain cancers combined with things like an expensive divorce and poverty are a good reason to commit suicide as the future is bleak and painful.
...and yet not one of them moderated as "Funny". Is that weird, or what?
In the US, the right to own a gun is considered one of the most important rights. If you have depression and seek help, you may be banned for life from owning one.
The system is designed to encourage people to not seek help. Even attempts to violate doctor/client privacy to make judgements on suitability for firearm ownership.
Help isn't available. Sure, there are some "hotlines" designed to help with teen issues, but the hotlines are not designed for mature people with real medical issues.
So long as suicides happen in "clusters" is proof that suicides are, in part, caused by anti-suicide sentiments. If those with urges were able to get real help without prejudice or penalty, they wouldn't be as enticed by the thoughts as they are publicized after incidents.
Learn to love Alaska
What deters me is that my life insurance policies may not pay out if my death is ruled a suicide. My family long ago realized I have no value except for whatever money I can bring home, and encouraged me to load up on life insurance policies back when I could get them. But most of these policies have the standard "no suicide" clause. At some point, my family may decide that being rid of me is worth more than the life insurance would bring in, especially since, as I get older, the premiums become increasingly more expensive, while inflation makes the payout worth less and less in real terms over time. But for now they are willing to put up with me so long as I stay away, bring home a paycheck, but otherwise leave them alone. So no matter how much I look forward to death, I can't be the one to make it happen. At least not yet. But maybe we all get lucky at some point and I get cancer or a heart attack or run over by the proverbial bus. Can't be my fault. But one can always hope.
Nonaggression works!
One of my great fears also. It's not that I don't value the lives or the happiness of the disabled in the more general case. i consider every life valuable until proven otherwise. But mine already has. I'm already a burden to everyone in spite of being of mostly sound body and mind. I don't *ever* want to become even more of a burden than I already am. I don't yet have a DNR or any similar paperwork but I need to get going on getting all that. I don't want to live at all, and I *certainly* don't want to live at the expense of others.
Nonaggression works!
I have doubts about the other 1,841 cases, too.
Considering the fact that rightwingers have been sending men to die in wars for years while women are safe back home, I would say that this hardly only the left's worldview.
Sometimes fiction imitates life and you see the same thing. I know a bunch of MRA-types think Game of Thrones sucks because there are so many "strong females" in it right now (the show kindof sucks now, but for different reasons..) but that's what happens when all of the men of various houses, army leaders, patriarchs, and kings all try their best to kill each other. Many die, and the women fill the power vacuum, but it wouldn't have happened if the men didn't make up all the soldiers, battle commanders, generals, and kings.
The potential risk of copycat incidents after celebrity cases is known to public health bodies.
I got a boobjob after Lindsay Lohan got one. Then I became a drug addict and alcoholic so I could go through treatment like .... well, like everyone. Then I caught cancer so I could be like Larry King, and others. Then I died so I could be like Prince. Then I resurrected so I could be like Elvis. Let me tell you, the copycat lifestyle takes a lot of commitment.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
It's not just gun ownership. There's lots of things that can turn out bad for a person with a medical history of mental health problems. We're seeing plenty of ACs here talk about their experiences, because they don't want to leave an easy-to-follow record. (I'm not bothering, but if I were fired today and never worked again I'd still have a comfortable retirement.)
On the other hand, if you can just hide mental illness, and lots of us are or have been good at that, there's no legal or social repercussions.
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
Well that'd pretty fucking sad.
Have you considered trying something like this?
Pretty sure they couldn't technically classify that as suicide ...
Alternately, you could try talking to a shrink. They didn't do jack for me, but I've heard they can be helpful ...
It's perfectly logical. They want to end it because their life is shit, and they're worried that if they get caught trying to end it, the police will make their life more shit.
If you're so incompetent that you can't even make a one-time small purchase of drugs in a major city, I can understand why you might be suicidal. I suppose in that case you could always overdose on aspirin. There are plenty of legal drugs which can kill you, and you don't have to worry about Da Po Po ruining your party.
You're a special kind of asshole.
Aww, that's really sweet of you. I'd like to think I'm at least above average, but it's nice to get honest feedback.
Correlation is not causation.
Unless people were leaving suicide notes citing Williams’ suicide as a reason for theirs or happened to be doing it in the exact same way, including minor details INDICATING a relashionship, I doubt there is anything to this. Their there lacks a certain... je ne sais quoi... là?
Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
The problem is many try to hide it until it's t late. And preventable problems occur that wouldn't have if people could get quality help without prejudice or injury.
Learn to love Alaska
Believe it or not, it has occurred to me. But the most likely outcome would not be death, but a serious beat-down, likely resulting in at least temporary inability to work, and making me even more of a burden to those around me. Now, even that might be better than having to see shrinks, based on about 2 decades of experience being forced to do so. But I think my family deserve better than would likely result from either.
Nonaggression works!
Agreed. I've considered it in the past also, but never carried through due to concern for my family. Wish I had some advice to offer but it sounds like you've been through it all already. All I can do is commiserate.
Sorry you feel that way. I wouldn't wish it on anyone except myself.
Nonaggression works!
I've never understood this obsession with trying to prevent suicide. If a person is in enough pain that they don't want to live anymore, then they should have the right to end their life. It is THEIR life. Not yours.
More goody-goody, self-absorbed SJW B.S. Oh, look at us. We are so enlightened. We care. Not about the individuals involved, but with our reputation for being morally superior. Aren't we just the most precious?
It's because it's more than just them. Sure it's your life and go live it. However if you terminate it then you affect those around you. Ever watch it's a wonderful life? You should sometime.
$11,000 and counting. up 40% since your moronic comment!
i could live a little longer in this prison