Comments on: Do Suicide Reports Increase Suicides? http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/ Nick Ramsay blogging from Gifu, Japan. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:05:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Mum http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7580 Mum Thu, 02 Oct 2008 18:37:51 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7580 You're absolutely right Nick. We have had loads of teenage suicides in this country in the last couple of years, now it is knife crime and last night I watched a programme called Silent Witness, which is about solving deaths from phorensics, and they were showing horrific actions carried out on kids from rival gangs. Surely the media must realise they are putting ideas into kids' minds. I think they are so irresponsible You’re absolutely right Nick. We have had loads of teenage suicides in this country in the last couple of years, now it is knife crime and last night I watched a programme called Silent Witness, which is about solving deaths from phorensics, and they were showing horrific actions carried out on kids from rival gangs. Surely the media must realise they are putting ideas into kids’ minds. I think they are so irresponsible

]]> By: Nick Ramsay http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7570 Nick Ramsay Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:46:31 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7570 I completely forgot about that one, Billy, and it was so recent, too. And there's a lot more to this "copycat" stuff than suicides. One term for it is "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_proof" rel="nofollow">social proof</a>" which basically supposes that we follow those around us (especially our peers), without checking the facts for ourselves. I'll be writing more about this in the future. I find it fascinating! :) I completely forgot about that one, Billy, and it was so recent, too. And there’s a lot more to this “copycat” stuff than suicides. One term for it is “social proof” which basically supposes that we follow those around us (especially our peers), without checking the facts for ourselves. I’ll be writing more about this in the future. I find it fascinating! :)

]]> By: Nick Ramsay http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7569 Nick Ramsay Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:39:59 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7569 Good link that, Chris. I hope that story encourages people to stand up to all the fear mongering. It's not easy, but you can still follow the daily news if you're aware of the tactics they employ to influence your point of view. We just need to be aware of what buzzwords, headlines, pictures, etc. they use to get the reaction they're looking for, and in cases like the Wall Street bailout, ask ourselves whether both arguments, for <i>and</i> against, are being fairly presented, and what questions are <i>not</i> being asked. Reading the news is a science in itself! :shock: Good link that, Chris. I hope that story encourages people to stand up to all the fear mongering.

It’s not easy, but you can still follow the daily news if you’re aware of the tactics they employ to influence your point of view. We just need to be aware of what buzzwords, headlines, pictures, etc. they use to get the reaction they’re looking for, and in cases like the Wall Street bailout, ask ourselves whether both arguments, for and against, are being fairly presented, and what questions are not being asked.

Reading the news is a science in itself! :shock:

]]> By: Nick Ramsay http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7568 Nick Ramsay Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:25:23 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7568 Wow, that's a strong case to support the copycat suicide theory. Wow, that’s a strong case to support the copycat suicide theory.

]]> By: billywest http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7567 billywest Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:12:03 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7567 It was easy to see, earlier this year, how the Japanese media influenced a spate of hydrogen sulfide suicides by reporting the details of how the deadly gas was mixed. I mean, the signs on the bathroom doors (bathrooms where people were doing themselves in with gas) usually read the same warning, often word-for-word. I'm sure just before writing the warnings, these people recalled the words they had read in the news previously and just copied them. It was easy to see, earlier this year, how the Japanese media influenced a spate of hydrogen sulfide suicides by reporting the details of how the deadly gas was mixed. I mean, the signs on the bathroom doors (bathrooms where people were doing themselves in with gas) usually read the same warning, often word-for-word. I’m sure just before writing the warnings, these people recalled the words they had read in the news previously and just copied them.

]]> By: Chris http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7566 Chris Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:03:55 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7566 I'm tempted to stop reading the news but then I'd be completely out of touch with what's going on. I just feel that some of the things I read I really don't need to know about and it influences me in a negative way. Maybe our daily news should just be statistics on car crashes/suicides etc. The raw facts. Then everyone would be terrified of driving instead of terrified of flying. The statistics show it one way and the media coverage shows it another. On a similar note: <a href="http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/is-it-just-me-lets-stop-scaring-our-kids/article101787.html" rel="nofollow">Is It Just Me?: Let's Stop Scaring Our Kids</a> I’m tempted to stop reading the news but then I’d be completely out of touch with what’s going on. I just feel that some of the things I read I really don’t need to know about and it influences me in a negative way.

Maybe our daily news should just be statistics on car crashes/suicides etc. The raw facts. Then everyone would be terrified of driving instead of terrified of flying. The statistics show it one way and the media coverage shows it another.

On a similar note:
Is It Just Me?: Let’s Stop Scaring Our Kids

]]> By: Ricardo http://www.longcountdown.com/2008/10/02/do-suicide-reports-increase-suicides/#comment-7565 Ricardo Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:01:27 +0000 http://www.longcountdown.com/?p=813#comment-7565 I hope you don't mind me posting these links but I agree with you. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7255523.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7258278.stm There was a 'suicide town' that was in the headlines 2007/2008. It seemed to me the more the media covered it the more likely it would be for those border-line suicidal, an obvious solution. Maybe even a way to be remembered for such a selfish act. 17 teenagers in just over a year is saddening, luckily it became yesterdays news. I hope you don’t mind me posting these links but I agree with you.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7255523.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wal.....258278.stm

There was a ’suicide town’ that was in the headlines 2007/2008. It seemed to me the more the media covered it the more likely it would be for those border-line suicidal, an obvious solution. Maybe even a way to be remembered for such a selfish act.

17 teenagers in just over a year is saddening, luckily it became yesterdays news.

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