Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

and the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

have increasingly important relationships as

use becomes more ubiquitous. Several

Internet suicide A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...

s have occurred, and issues involving

social media and suicide Social media and suicide is a phenomenon concerning social media's influence on suicide behavior. Suicide is one of the top leading causes of death worldwide, and as of 2020, the third leading cause of death in those aged 15–24. According to the ...

have gained some attention. A survey has found that suicide-risk individuals who went online for suicide-related purposes, compared with online users who did not, reported greater suicide-risk symptoms, were less likely to seek help and perceived less social support. Jurisdictional hindrances have sometimes prevented governments from effectively restricting pro-suicide sites and sites that describe

suicide methods A suicide method is any means by which a person chooses to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a nonfatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, and bra ...

. An

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i site,

SAHAR Sahar may refer to: People * Sahar (name), Arabic feminine name or Hebrew unisex name * Sahar (singer), Iranian singer, musician and dancer. * Sahar Aslam, former Scottish international cricketer. * Sahar Ansari, Urdu poet and linguist from Karachi ...

, sought to prevent suicide by providing supportive conversations and referrals to help resources. In 2008, police in the United Kingdom expressed concern that "

Internet cult Cybersectarianism is the phenomenon of new religious movements and other groups using the Internet for text distribution, recruitment, and information sharing. As an organizational type The term, as coined by political scientist Patricia M. Thorn ...

s" and the desire for achieving prestige via

online memorial An online memorial is a virtual space created on the Internet for the purpose of remembering, celebrating, or commemorating those who have died. An online memorial may be a one-page HTML webpage document giving the name of the deceased and a few wo ...

s may encourage suicides. Although there are concerns that the Internet may be a dangerous platform, where suicidal people might find suicide methods or encouragement to kill themselves, research has shown that the internet is more likely to have a positive than a negative influence.Harris, K. M. (2015). Life vs. death: The suicidal mind online. In E. Aboujaoude & V. Starcevic (Eds.), Mental Health in the Digital Age: Grave Dangers, Great Promise (pp. 135-151). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

References

{{Digital media use and mental health

See also

References