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The Werther Effect and Assisted Suicide
Author(s) -
Frei Andreas,
Schenker Tanja,
Finzen Asmus,
Dittmann Volker,
Kraeuchi Kurt,
HoffmannRichter Ulrike
Publication year - 2003
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.33.2.192.22768
Subject(s) - suicide rates , suicide methods , imitation , psychology , epidemiology , demography , psychiatry , suicide prevention , medicine , poison control , medical emergency , social psychology , sociology
In the course of a large epidemiological study in the region of Basle, Switzerland, from 1992 to 1996, a considerable rise in suicides assisted by the right‐to‐die society EXIT was uncovered after wide press coverage of an assisted double suicide of a prominent couple in that region in March 1995. Further investigation revealed that the rise of assisted suicides for a period of 2 years after the critical event was statistically significant compared to the 2 years previous to the double suicide. This was especially true for women older than 65 years. Hence, the almost enthusiastic kind of reporting about this event was apt to induce imitation suicides or a “Werther‐effect.”