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Suicide in Films: The Impact of Suicide Portrayals on Nonsuicidal Viewers' Well‐Being and the Effectiveness of Censorship
Author(s) -
Till Benedikt,
Niederkrotenthaler Thomas,
Herberth Arno,
Vitouch Peter,
Sonneck Gernot
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1521/suli.2010.40.4.319
Subject(s) - suicide prevention , poison control , psychology , injury prevention , mood , human factors and ergonomics , psychiatry , drama , clinical psychology , censorship , occupational safety and health , medical emergency , medicine , art , philosophy , literature , theology , pathology
The effects of suicide films on recipients' emotional and mental state, as well as the influence of censorship, was studied. Nonsuicidal subjects watched the original or a censored version of a suicide film or a drama without suicide. Data were collected by questionnaires. The viewing led to a deterioration of mood and an increase in inner tension and depression scores, but also to a rise in self‐esteem and life satisfaction and to a drop in suicidality. There were no relevant differences between the film groups. The more a subject identified with the protagonist, the greater were the negative effects.