The Effect of the September 11 Terrorist Attacks on Suicide and Deliberate Self-Harm: a Time Trend Study

The authors investigated the possible impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on suicidal behaviour in the Netherlands. There was evidence of an increase in rates of suicide & deliberate self-harm in the weeks immediately following the attacks. The contrast of these findings with Durkheim’s original suggestion that suicide rates decline in times of war & outside threat is highlighted. (24 refs)