Suicide in the Media: a Quantitative Review of Studies Based on Nonfictional Stories

The authors reviewed recent research on the effect of suicide stories in the media on real-life suicide rates. Logistic regression techniques applied to 419 findings from 55 studies determined that: studies measuring the presence of an entertainment or political celebrity were 5.27 times more likely to find a copycat effect; studies focusing on stories that stressed negative definitions of suicide were 99% less likely to report a copycat effect; research based on television stories were 79% less likely to find a copycat effect; & studies focusing on female suicide were 4.89 times more likely to report a copycat effect than other studies. (85 refs)