Suicide contagion

Suicide contagion is an increase in suicidal thoughts or behavior associated with exposure to suicide, especially through social networks or media. It describes a population-level risk, not an inevitable response to exposure.

Werther effect: An increase in suicidal behavior associated with exposure to reports of suicide. This term captures the imitation pathway often discussed within suicide contagion.
Recommendations for reporting on suicide: Guidelines for media coverage intended to reduce harm and support help-seeking. These recommendations address the reporting choices most directly linked to contagion risk.
Copycat effect: A pattern in which exposure to an observed act is followed by similar behavior. Suicide contagion is a specific proposed instance of this broader pattern.
Causal inference: Methods for determining whether an observed relationship reflects a cause-and-effect connection. Exposure and suicidal behavior may coincide without exposure causing the change.
Papageno effect: A protective effect in which stories of coping with suicidal crises are associated with reduced suicidal behavior. It shows how media portrayals can reduce risk rather than amplify it.
Media guidelines for suicide prevention: Standards for presenting suicide in ways that limit imitation and encourage support. They translate evidence about contagion into practical editorial safeguards.
13 Reasons Why: A television drama released in 2017 that depicts a teenager's suicide and its aftermath. Studies examined whether its release coincided with changes in suicidal behavior.
Ecological fallacy: The error of inferring individual-level relationships from data about groups. Population rate changes cannot establish which exposed individuals were affected.
Social learning theory: A theory that people learn behaviors by observing others and the consequences they receive. It offers a general model for how observed suicidal behavior may shape responses.
Suicide prevention: Organized efforts to reduce suicidal thoughts, attempts, and deaths. Contagion prevention forms one part of the broader suicide-prevention field.

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