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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."
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.
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.
True, it is not a solution to over-population. Looking at the shrinking population of Japan, it looks like this problem will be somewhat self-regulating, at least in developed countries. It's no reason for suicide to be illegal though. In the past, suicide was considered an honorable death in many cultures. Unfortunately, some con artists came along and realized they could make a lot of money using religion to control people's personal freedoms.
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.
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The sheer weirdness of slashdot trolls never cease to amaze.
Admit nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counter-accusations.
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.
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.
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.
Of course people should be allowed to, but that doesn't mean it's not a problem or we shouldn't try to stop it. Very often the desire and will to kill yourself is temporary. My brother climbed over the side of the bridge this summer and only at the last minute pulled himself back from the edge. And I think he's glad now he didn't jump. He's getting help now. It takes a special kind of heartless asshole to suggest suicide should be encouraged and assisted*.
*I'll make exceptions for assisted suicide of terminally-ill patients who have zero quality of life.
"I want to know how and why people commit suicide."
Charcoal grills in small enclosed spaces seems to be the new fad where I live. People lock themselves in the bathroom, duct-tape window and door, put the grill in the bathtub and lay down beside with a bottle of whisky and barbiturates or other knockout stuff.
According to my doctor, it's the simplest painless way to go.
PS. Euthanasia is legal in our country. But I guess people just want to avoid the red tape.
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
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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Actually, oxygen displacement via helium or nitrogen tent is the most painless, but granted not the easiest to set up.
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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 don't think there's any country where euthanasia is legal as a treatment for mental illness -- only for physical illness, usually only the terminal kind."
You're obviously wrong. There's quite a number of them, Luxemboutg, Belgium, Netherlands....
There's no heaven or hell, you know.
"A mentally-ill Belgian woman sought euthanasia to escape her problems. The doctors told her, sure, why not? "
https://www.mercatornet.com/ar...