Media Influence on Parasuicide: a Study of the Effects of a Television Drama Portrayal of Paracetamol Self-Poisoning

Data from the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide were used to examine changes in the number of overdoses & the use of paracetamol in the 3 weeks before & after two broadcasts of a television drama showing a teenage girl’s overdose. An increase in paracetamol overdoses occurred following the first broadcast, but when data from the 2 previous years were examined & a log-linear analysis was used, there was no evidence of significant effects attributable to the broadcasts.