Long-Term Impact of Celebrity Suicide on Suicidal Ideation: Results From a Population-Based Study

This paper reports on the effect of the suicide of a famous entertainment celebrity in Hong Kong on suicide thoughts in the community. A population-based survey was conducted between December 2003-July 2004. Respondents were asked about their suicide ideation, psychological well being, life events, & whether or not they had been affected by celebrity suicide. There were 2016 respondents, aged between 20-59 years. After controlling for some known suicide risk factors, celebrity suicide was shown to be independently associated with suicide ideation. Celebrity suicide was a risk factor for suicide ideation over the short term as well as over a longer term. (35 refs.)