Imitative Suicide in a Cohesive Organization: Observations From a Case Study

3 suicides occurred within 3 years in a military unit of 35 individuals. Group & individual therapy was conducted over 3 days & ongoing referrals were made as necessary. In addition, measures of anxiety, depression, & hostility were obtained from this unit & a comparison unit. Analysis indicated that differences in mean scores between the units yielded potentially misleading information, although on an individual basis scores were useful in identifying clients at risk of suicide. (10 refs.)