Letter to the Editors on “Negative Effects of a School Suicide Postvention Program – a Case Example”

A case example based on J. Callahan’s 1996 paper on possible suicide clusters, imitative suicidal behavior & the influence of mass media reports or the “Werther effect” is presented. Hypothesizing that media reports of subway suicides are able to trigger additional suicidal behavior, the authors started an initiative in 1987 to change media reporting policies. The initiative was successful, as the number of subway suicides decreased by 80%. (4 refs.)