The Emotional Impact and Ease of Recall of Warning Signs for Suicide: a Controlled Study

This study examined the emotional impact of reading a list of warning signs for suicide in comparison to lists for heart attacks & diabetes. All participants read 2 sets of warning signs, with the experimental group reading the suicide warning signs. Results confirm no difference in emotional impact across groups, along with providing evidence that warning signs for suicide are as easy to recall after exposure as warning signs for heart attacks. Implications for public health campaigns are discussed. (32 refs)