Belief in the Inevitability of Suicide: Results From a National Survey

A national sample of 2,770 respondents were asked a hypothetical question about what effect a suicide barrier might have had on the ultimate fate of more than 1,000 people who died by suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge, in order to examine public opinion regarding the effectiveness of means restriction as an approach to preventing suicide. 34% of respondents believed that every single person would have found another way to die by suicide & an additional 40% believed that ÒmostÓ would have died by suicide using other means. (84 refs)