Contents
Suicidal thoughts rise in US after deaths of Robin Williams, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain; why are celebrity suicides contagious?
Researchers at Columbia University found that the death of Hollywood comedian Robin Williams by suicide in 2014 increased the risk of suicidal thoughts in the United States a thousandfold, reflected in a rise in calls to the then-existing 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. The study also looked at similar events during the deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, which occurred just days apart in 2018. However, there was a similar but less intense reaction then. Read on to find out why celebrity suicides are contagious.
Social processes may make suicide contagious, say experts
A disturbing new report from Columbia University reveals that the suicides of popular actor Robin Williams in 2014 and designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain in 2018 led to a massive increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among the public.
The researchers developed a computer model that roughly predicted the amount of suicidal thoughts and the number of suicides triggered by the deaths of these three celebrities. The scientists said their model considered the number of weekly calls to 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline data.
According to the study, the number of calls to the crisis line after Williams’ death was about half the number after the deaths of Spade and Bourdain. “The model we developed shows that suicide contagion, including both suicidal ideation and death, spreads rapidly after the suicide deaths of celebrities whose lives and work are well known and potentially meaningful to large segments of the population,” researcher Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, told AOL.
Why are celebrity deaths contagious?
The researchers said no single factor is responsible for suicidal thoughts or actions, but they said social processes may make suicide “contagious.” According to the theory, people close to or familiar with people who think about or attempt suicide may become more suicidal themselves.
Study published in the journal Progress of scienceThe reason behind Williams’ death – the constant media coverage, attention and public attachment to the beloved 63-year-old comedian – may have been a reason for the surge.
The deaths of Spade and Bourdain — which occurred just three days apart in June 2018 — had less of an impact on the public, by about half. According to Shaman, this was because media coverage had become more responsible by then. The researchers suspect some of the jump in suicides was due to news stories that violated expert guidance on suicide coverage, including glorifying death and describing the methods used. In 2014 and 2018, the increased suicide infection rates lasted about two weeks before returning to baseline levels.
Does studying suicide help?,
According to the Columbia researchers, this study will be extremely helpful in providing a framework to better understand the suicide crisis, prevent it, and stop its spread.
Shaman said he has developed models to track the spread of influenza and COVID-19. His team used a similar structure to model suicide, treating thoughts and behaviors as a contagious system. They tracked the number of people capable of spreading the disease and the number of people susceptible to “infection.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate in the United States increased by 37 percent between 2000-2018 and decreased by 5 percent between 2018-2020, before peaking again in 2021.
Get the latest news on Times Now with breaking news and top headlines on mental health, wellness and more from around the world.
