Fictional depiction of suicide in television films and imitation effects
American Journal of PsychiatryPublished 1 August 1988
Alan L. Berman
Citations95
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score5.27
SNIP3.68
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
Using a nationwide sample of cases of suicide, the author found no evidence for increased numbers of suicides after broadcast of three films, but some support was found for an imitation effect specific to the depiction of a suicide method in one of these films.
Abstract
Studies of imitative suicide by viewers of fictional depictions of suicide in television films have produced contradictory findings. Using a nationwide sample of cases of suicide, the author found no evidence for increased numbers of suicides after broadcast of three films. However, some support was found for an imitation effect specific to the depiction of a suicide method in one of these films (p less than 0.05). To the extent that fictional presentations of suicide may serve as stimuli for imitative behavior, the effect appears to depend on a complex interaction among characteristics of the stimulus, the observer of that stimulus, and conditions of time and geography.
Keywords
PsychologyHealth ProfessionsNeuroscience
American Journal of PsychiatryPsychological autopsy of completed suicide in children and adolescents
489 Citations1985Mohammad Behshad Shafii, S. Carrigan +2 more
A psychological autopsy of 20 children and adolescents aged 12-19 years who had committed suicide and a matched-pair control group revealed that 85% of the victims and 18% ofThe control subjects had expressed suicidal ideation.
New England Journal of MedicineClustering of Teenage Suicides after Television News Stories about Suicide
391 Citations1986David P. Phillips, Lundie L. Carstensen
It is concluded that television stories about suicide trigger additional suicides, perhaps because of imitation, and suicide rates among American teenagers before and after these stories are examined.
New England Journal of MedicineThe Impact of Suicide in Television Movies
302 Citations1986Madelyn S. Gould, David Shaffer
It is concluded that the results are consistent with the hypothesis that some teenage suicides are imitative and that alternative explanations for the findings are unlikely to account for the increase in attempted and completed suicides.
American Journal of SociologyThe Impact of Fictional Television Stories on U.S. Adult Fatalities: New Evidence on the Effect of the Mass Media on Violence
146 Citations1982David R. Phillips
This paper presents the first systematic evidence that violent, finctional television stories trigger imitative deaths and near-fatal accidents in the Unites States.
American Journal of SociologyThe Impact of Fictional Television Suicide Stories on U.S. Fatalities: A Replication
71 Citations1984Ronald C. Kessler, Horst Stipp
BMJThe aftermath of Angie's overdose: is soap (opera) damaging to your health?
67 Citations1987Stephen Platt
Findings do not lend support to the claim that there was a strong imitation effect after Angie's overdose on the popular television soap opera EastEnders, and a positive association between trends in overdose and distance from London was found.
The British Journal of PsychiatryAttempted Suicide as Language: An Empirical Study
64 Citations1970Norman Kreitman, Peter Smith +1 more
It is proposed that the concept of 'attempted suicide' as a form of communication leads to the hypothesis that suicidal attempts should occur in socially-linked groups of individuals with a frequency greater than would be expected from a sample of the general population matched for those demographic factors known to influence rates of attempted suicide.
The British Journal of PsychiatryPsychiatric Morbidity in a Sample of a London Coroner's Open Verdicts
57 Citations1975T. A. Holding, B. M. Barraclough
For the first time, a consecutive series of such deaths which occurred in a London coroner's district are described and the psychiatric aspects have been given special emphasis.
Journal of Epidemiology & Community HealthAttempted suicide in social networks.
46 Citations1969Norman Kreitman, P Smith +1 more
It could be predicted that, among the close acquaintances of patients attempting suicide, the number of suicidal attempts would be greater than would be expected from the age, sex, and demographic characteristics of these acquaintances.
The British Journal of PsychiatryThe B.B.C. ‘Befrienders’ Series and its Effects
42 Citations1974T. A. Holding
The evidence supports the view that in Edinburgh the Samaritans function more as a crisis intervention service rather than as a parasuicide prevention service.
BMJSuicide and "The Befrienders".
30 Citations1975T. A. Holding
The short-term effect of "The Befrienders"--an 11-episode weekly series on B.B.C. 1 portraying the Samaritans as a suicide prevention service--on suicide and undetermined deaths was monitored in Edinburgh, where no preventive effect was observed.
Suicide and Life-Threatening BehaviorThe Sociological Study of Suicide: Methodological Issues
26 Citations1987Steven Stack
A critical review of selected methodological issues in the sociological study of suicide identifies three recurrent problems: measurement issues on four key variables, problems in studying the effect of mass media stories on suicide, and reasons why the subject should adopt a cross-national method.
New England Journal of MedicineDoes Bad News about Suicide Beget Bad News?
17 Citations1986Leon Eisenberg
The suicide rate among American adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age is the second most important cause of death, resulting in almost 1700 lives lost each year.