A new study found out that sensationalized suicide reports are likely to spark fatal behavior in teenagers.
According to statistics from suicide.org, about 1.3 percent of deaths in the United States are caused by suicide, with one happening every 16 minutes. Suicide also remained the third cause of death among teens, after accidents and homicide.
Researchers from the New York State Psychiatric Institute led by Dr. Madelyn Gould examined mortality data from 48 states in America between 1988 and 1996, when social media didn't yet exist as a ready source of daily news. They focused their analysis on the suicide records of citizens aged 13 to 20.
Analysts found 53 clusters but narrowed their study to 48 due to technicalities. The final data included three to 11 suicides per cluster. They then reviewed the newspaper archives for suicide news in between each clusters, specifically looking for incidents committed by teens within the same community.
Their analysis revealed that suicide cases showed a temporary spike after initial reports of teen suicides surfaced. The researchers calculated that there was an average of four incidents prior to the spike. The result remained consistent even after other factors, such as location and methodology, were considered.
Furthermore, suicide rates peaked after a celebrity suicide or once the media gave out details about the incident. Researchers believe that media portrayals of suicide give depressed teens the idea that killing themselves is the easiest way out of their problems, instead of seeking professional help.
"Our findings indicate that the more sensational the coverage of the suicides, and the more details the story provides, then the more likely there are to be more suicides," Dr. Gould said in a statement, as quoted by LiveScience.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), has appealed to the media to avoid sensationalizing suicide news and include information on seeking help when writing these stories.
Further details of this study can be read on the May 1 issue of the Lancet Psychiatry.
