Werther Effect: Why Suicide Can Be Contagious
The Werther influence has often made headlines. On August 7, 1962, the world awoke to a shocking situation. The famous actress, Marilyn Monroe , was found dead in her bathroom. This was soon confirmed to be suicide. In the months that followed, 303 young people committed suicide in the United States.
In the 90s, years after this famous incident, American society experienced a similar phenomenon with the death of Kurt Cobain. Every time the media reports of a suicide by a famous person, an epidemic of suicides has shaken the country.
But what kind of connection can a star in the entertainment world and people like me have? Have these individuals perhaps followed some sort of imitation process, or was it just a mere morbid coincidence?
What is the Werther effect?
The Werther effect was a term coined by sociologist David Phillips in 1974 that defined the effect of imitation related to suicidal behavior. The name comes from the novel “The Sufferings of Young Werther” written by the German author Wolfgang von Goethe . In this book, the protagonist ends up committing suicide in the name of love.
It was such a great “success” that soon after its publication in 1774, about 40 young people committed suicide in a very similar way to Werther. This strange and macabre phenomenon led to the banning of the book in some countries, such as Italy and Denmark.
Between 1947 and 1968, Phillips conducted a study based on similar cases in which he became aware of revealing and worrying information. He found that every time The New York Times published a famous human suicide story, the number of suicides rose by almost 12% the following month.
This formula has continued to this day. In the mid-2017s, Canada tried to ban the “ Thirteen Reasons ” program after deciding it could have a similar tragic effect. The World Health Organization has even produced a document for journalists with guidelines on what they should report in suicide-related cases.
Is it dangerous to discuss suicide in the media?
It depends on the way it is done. One of the things to keep in mind is to try not to go into too much detail and to omit elements that may evoke compassion. Such events should not trigger any kind of imitation process. However, it is clear that we need to remove all sensationalism that might potentially force people to imitate a tragic event.
Some experts reject the Werther effect in principle, but acknowledge that it may have some similar effects. They think that people prone to committing suicide may imitate the actions of these famous people. However, they do not in any way blame public figures for the deaths of other people.
We need to deal with such news with a certain sensitivity. No images or recognizable elements should be displayed, especially in the case of children or young people. It is important that we do not glorify suicide and consider it an escape.
How to avoid romanticizing suicide
Despite all this, it is important to talk about suicide. We should be able to say that there is always another way out and show it to those people who don’t seem to see it exactly. Staying quiet and turning your gaze away only serves to stigmatize the problem, affecting more and more people.
We should always try to do it respectfully, but confidently, trying to remove the terrible taboo that surrounds it. Hiding something so real does not mean that it does not exist. In fact, it only makes it more powerful.
Fictional works, whatever their form, should not be accused of committing suicide for encouragement. The same is true for the news. This, of course, does not free people from reporting it in a correct and responsible way. When “ The Sufferings of Young Werther” was published, people did not have much knowledge or resources similar to what we have now. Expressing our feelings in the right way and asking for help should be easier for you than depriving your own life and we all have a part to play.
