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Calvo S, Carrasco JP, Conde-Pumpido C, Esteve J, Aguilar EJ. Does suicide contagion (Werther effect) take place in response to social media? A systematic review. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY AND MENTAL HEALTH 2024:S2950-2853(24)00032-2. [PMID: 38848950 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjpmh.2024.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Werther, Copycat or contagion effect of suicidal behaviour is a complex phenomenon that can arise due to exposure to media stories in which identifiable people take their lives. On the contrary, the Papageno effect prevents people from suicide by promoting positives examples of suicidal crisis management. Impact of both effects has been widely studied in different types of situations, but its existence in social media is a source of much debate. METHODS A systematic search following the PRISMA guidelines of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science and the references of prior reviews yielded 25 eligible studies. RESULTS Most of the studies found were observational, with very different methodologies and generally with low risk of bias. In these, the results suggest the existence of the Werther effect in response to social media stories about suicide. This is mediated by multiple factors, including the characteristic of the users, the type of interaction and the content of the publications. At the same time, the Papageno effect is also described. Evidence found by type of social media and future implications are discussed. CONCLUSION Suicidal content on social media can be both contagious and protective. It is confirmed that the Werther and Papageno effects may occur in response to social media, so they could be an interesting target for preventive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Calvo
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Carrasco
- Psychiatry Deparment, Consorcio Hospitalario Provincial de Castellón, Castellón, Spain.
| | - Celia Conde-Pumpido
- Psychiatry Deparment, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Jose Esteve
- Psychiatry Deparment, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Eduardo Jesús Aguilar
- Psychiatry Deparment, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia, Valencia, Spain; INCLIVA Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Valencia, Spain; CIBERSAM Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Madrid, Spain; University of Valencia, Department of Medicine, Valencia, Spain
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Tambuzzi S, Gentile G, Galante N, Zoja R. Letter to the Editor regarding the article "Double suicide in Japan in the post-war reconstruction period, with reference to contemporary Japan". MEDICINE, SCIENCE, AND THE LAW 2023; 63:337-338. [PMID: 36683379 DOI: 10.1177/00258024231152183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Tambuzzi
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano Via Luigi Mangiagalli, Italy
| | - Guendalina Gentile
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano Via Luigi Mangiagalli, Italy
| | - Nicola Galante
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano Via Luigi Mangiagalli, Italy
| | - Riccardo Zoja
- Laboratorio di Istopatologia Forense e Microbiologia Medico Legale - Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni - Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano Via Luigi Mangiagalli, Italy
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Lee SY. Do media coverage of suicides and search frequency on suicides predict the number of tweets seeking others for a suicide pact? Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1260567. [PMID: 37840788 PMCID: PMC10570519 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1260567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We examined whether media coverage of suicides and frequencies of searching for suicide methods or suicide pacts predicted the number of users posting tweets seeking others for a suicide pact. Analyses of 6,119 tweets containing "suicide pact" posted on Twitter during a 6-month period revealed that the number of users posting tweets seeking others for a suicide pact had a positive association with media coverage of celebrity suicides, but not with that of suicide pact victims, and a greater positive association with the search frequency for suicide methods than for suicide pacts. We found that the search frequency on suicide methods was positively associated with media coverage of celebrity suicides, while that on suicide pacts was more strongly related to media coverage of suicide pacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Yup Lee
- Department of Communication, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Galante N, Gentile G, Tambuzzi S, Zoja R. Suicide pacts in the Milan district (Italy): A retrospective autopsy-based study with literature review. J Forensic Leg Med 2022; 86:102319. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Tusiewicz K, Wachełko O, Zawadzki M, Chłopaś-Konowałek A, Jurek T, Kawecki J, Szpot P. The dark side of social media: Two deaths related with chloroform intoxication. J Forensic Sci 2022; 67:1300-1307. [PMID: 34994396 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.14974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A suicide pact is an agreement between people to commit suicide together, which usually takes place at the same time, in the same place, by using the same method. Social media serve as a way of communication between people. Thus, they use such platforms to find potential suicide pact partners. Chloroform, although being regarded to as a slightly forgotten poison, is still linked to homicide and suicide cases. Death due to an acute chloroform ingestion may be a result of central nervous system depression. In this paper, we present application of headspace gas chromatographic method using a dual column/dual flame ionization detector (HS-GC-FID/FID) for the determination of chloroform in two fatal intoxication cases, as well as chloroform stability study. Analysis of biological samples revealed chloroform concentrations of 135.8, 16.1, 8.1, and 37.1 µg/ml in blood, urine, vitreous humor, and bile, respectively. Kidney, liver, and muscle specimens contained 119.5, 99.6, and 28.4 µg/g of chloroform, respectively. The results of stability studies indicate the highest decrease of chloroform in room temperature, so it is advised to store samples in a freezer. The addition of sodium fluoride is recommended as in blood samples collected to the test tubes without any preservative agent, the detection of chloroform after 91 days is almost impossible. It is important to emphasize that even old poisons can cause a lot of concerns today, as here described cases are linked to chloroform intoxication, as well as with possible danger which social media bring about nowadays.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcin Zawadzki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | | | - Tomasz Jurek
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jerzy Kawecki
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Paweł Szpot
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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Brennan C, Saraiva S, Mitchell E, Melia R, Campbell L, King N, House A. Self-harm and suicidal content online, harmful or helpful? A systematic review of the recent evidence. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH 2022. [DOI: 10.1108/jpmh-09-2021-0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose
There are calls for greater regulation of online content related to self-harm and suicide, particularly that which is user-generated. However, the online space is a source of support and advice, including an important sharing of experiences. This study aims to explore what it is about such online content, and how people interact with it, that may confer harm or offer benefit.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors undertook a systematic review of the published evidence, using customised searches up to February 2021 in seven databases. The authors included empirical research on the internet or online use and self-harm or suicide content that had been indexed since 2015. The authors undertook a theoretically driven narrative synthesis.
Findings
From 4,493 unique records, 87 met our inclusion criteria. The literature is rapidly expanding and not all the evidence is high quality, with very few longitudinal or intervention studies so little evidence to understand possible causal links. Very little content online is classifiable as explicitly harmful or definitively helpful, with responses varying by the individual and immediate context. The authors present a framework that seeks to represent the interplay in online use between the person, the medium, the content and the outcome.
Originality/value
This review highlights that content should not be considered separately to the person accessing it, so online safety means thinking about all users. Blanket removal or unthinking regulation may be more harmful than helpful. A focus on safe browsing is important and tools that limit time and diversify content would support this.
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Online Suicide Identification in the Framework of Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9070847. [PMID: 34356225 PMCID: PMC8307041 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9070847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Suicide is a serious social problem. Substantial efforts have been made to prevent suicide for many decades. The internet has become an important arena for suicide prevention and intervention. However, to the best of our knowledge, only one study has analyzed suicidal comments online from the perspective of rhetorical structure with incomplete rhetorical relations. We aimed to examine the rhetorical differences between Chinese social media users who died by suicide and those without suicidal ideation. Methods: The posts of 15 users who died by suicide and 15 not suffering from suicide ideation were annotated by five postgraduates with expertise in analyzing suicidal posts based on rhetorical structure theory (RST). Group differences were compared via a chi-square test. Results: Results showed that users who died by suicide posted significantly more posts and used more rhetorical relations. Moreover, the two groups displayed significant differences in 17 out of 23 rhetorical relations. Limitations: Because this study is largely exploratory and tentative, caution should be taken in generalizing our findings. Conclusions: Our results expand the methods of RST to the online suicidal identification field. There are implications for population-based suicide prevention by combining rhetorical structures with context analysis.
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Abstract
Zusammenfassung
Einleitung
Begehen zwei Menschen infolge einer gemeinsamen Entscheidung Suizid, wird dies als Doppelsuizid oder gemeinschaftlicher Suizid definiert. Die rechtsmedizinische Begutachtung hängt von den Umständen des konkreten Einzelfalls ab und kann für die rechtliche Würdigung insbesondere bei Konstellationen, bei denen ein Beteiligter überlebt hat, wichtige Hinweise liefern.
Material und Methoden
Für einen 25-Jahres-Zeitraum von 1995 bis 2019 wurden retrospektiv alle Sektionsfälle mit vollendeten und versuchten Doppelsuiziden analysiert und, soweit erhältlich, mit den Ermittlungsakten abgeglichen.
Ergebnisse
Unter den erhobenen 23 Doppelsuizidfällen fanden sich 16 vollendete sowie 7 Fälle mit jeweils einem Überlebenden. In 83 % der Fälle handelte es sich um Ehepaare bzw. eingetragene Lebensgemeinschaften, in 13 % um Personen, die sich zuvor in einer psychiatrischen Einrichtung, und in 4 % um Personen, die sich in einem „Suizidforum“ im Internet kennengelernt hatten. Der Mittelwert des Sterbealters betrug bei den Männern 57,8 und bei den Frauen 63,4 Jahre. In etwa zwei Drittel der Fälle wurden Erkrankungen als vorherrschendes Suizidmotiv angegeben. Als häufigste Methode wurde eine Intoxikation gewählt. Am zweithäufigsten fanden Schusswaffen Anwendung, wobei ausnahmslos der Mann zuerst einen oder mehrere Kopfschüsse auf seine Frau abgab, bevor er sich suizidierte. Der häufigste Sterbe- und Auffindeort war das gemeinsame Bett der Suizidenten.
Diskussion
Im Gegensatz zu Suiziden i. Allg. wurden die Doppelsuizide am häufigsten mittels einer Intoxikation als sogenannte weiche Methode verübt. In Anlehnung an die rechtsmedizinische Literatur werden für einen Doppelsuizid typische Merkmale herausgearbeitet.
Schlussfolgerung
Doppelsuizide stellen seltene Fälle in der rechtsmedizinischen Praxis dar, wobei die Abgrenzung zu einem erweiterten Suizid (Homizid-Suizid) schwierig werden kann und zugleich unabdingbar ist. Hierfür ist eine ganzheitliche Berücksichtigung der Vorgeschichte, der rechtsmedizinisch erhobenen Befunde und der kriminalistischen Umstände erforderlich.
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Roy A, Nikolitch K, McGinn R, Jinah S, Klement W, Kaminsky ZA. A machine learning approach predicts future risk to suicidal ideation from social media data. NPJ Digit Med 2020; 3:78. [PMID: 32509975 PMCID: PMC7250902 DOI: 10.1038/s41746-020-0287-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Machine learning analysis of social media data represents a promising way to capture longitudinal environmental influences contributing to individual risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Our objective was to generate an algorithm termed "Suicide Artificial Intelligence Prediction Heuristic (SAIPH)" capable of predicting future risk to suicidal thought by analyzing publicly available Twitter data. We trained a series of neural networks on Twitter data queried against suicide associated psychological constructs including burden, stress, loneliness, hopelessness, insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Using 512,526 tweets from N = 283 suicidal ideation (SI) cases and 3,518,494 tweets from 2655 controls, we then trained a random forest model using neural network outputs to predict binary SI status. The model predicted N = 830 SI events derived from an independent set of 277 suicidal ideators relative to N = 3159 control events in all non-SI individuals with an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI 0.86-0.90). Using an alternative approach, our model generates temporal prediction of risk such that peak occurrences above an individual specific threshold denote a ~7 fold increased risk for SI within the following 10 days (OR = 6.7 ± 1.1, P = 9 × 10-71). We validated our model using regionally obtained Twitter data and observed significant associations of algorithm SI scores with county-wide suicide death rates across 16 days in August and in October, 2019, most significantly in younger individuals. Algorithmic approaches like SAIPH have the potential to identify individual future SI risk and could be easily adapted as clinical decision tools aiding suicide screening and risk monitoring using available technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunima Roy
- The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Katerina Nikolitch
- The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Rachel McGinn
- The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - Safiya Jinah
- The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
| | - William Klement
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, The Ottawa Research Hospital Research Institute and Ottawa University, Ottawa, ON Canada
- Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS Canada
| | - Zachary A. Kaminsky
- The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
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Liu X, Huang J, Yu NX, Li Q, Zhu T. Mediation Effect of Suicide-Related Social Media Use Behaviors on the Association Between Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study. J Med Internet Res 2020; 22:e14940. [PMID: 32343249 PMCID: PMC7218592 DOI: 10.2196/14940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A limited number of studies have examined the differences in suicide-related social media use behaviors between suicide ideators and suicide attempters or have sought to elucidate how these social media usage behaviors contributed to the transition from suicidal ideation to suicide attempt. Objective Suicide attempts can be acquired through suicide-related social media use behaviors. This study aimed to propose 3 suicide-related social media use behaviors (ie, attending to suicide information, commenting on or reposting suicide information, or talking about suicide) based on social cognitive theory, which proposes that successive processes governing behavior transition include attentional, retention, production, and motivational processes. Methods We aimed to examine the mediating role of suicide-related social media use behaviors in Chinese social media users with suicidal risks. A sample of 569 Chinese social media users with suicidal ideation completed measures on suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and suicide-related social media use behaviors. Results The results demonstrated that suicide attempters showed a significantly higher level of suicidal ideation (t563.64=5.04; P<.001; two-tailed) and more suicide-related social media use behaviors, which included attending to suicide information (t567=1.94; P=.05; two-tailed), commenting on or reposting suicide information (t567=2.12; P=.03; two-tailed), or talking about suicide (t542.22=5.12; P<.001; two-tailed). Suicidal ideation also affected suicide attempts through the mediational chains. Conclusions Our findings thus support the social cognitive theory, and there are implications for population-based suicide prevention that can be achieved by identifying behavioral signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingyun Liu
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beiijng, China.,Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)
| | - Jiasheng Huang
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)
| | - Nancy Xiaonan Yu
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)
| | - Qing Li
- Department of Computing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong)
| | - Tingshao Zhu
- Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Grover S, Shouan A. Cyberpsychiatric disorders: An overview of assessment and management. JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR 2020. [DOI: 10.4103/0971-8990.309968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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