Is suicide "contagious"?

• May 2, 2024

According to figures from National Institute of Statistics and Geography In Mexico, the number of suicides has doubled from 1990 to the present. However, what influences someone to make this decision, especially a teenager?

A study, published by the Canadian Medical Association, It indicates that the idea of ​​taking one's life may not originate spontaneously from the individual, but rather that it is part of a contagion.

This research indicates that the suicide of a classmate significantly increases the likelihood that a teenager will consider or attempt to take his or her own life.

This analysis involved 22,000 Canadians between 12 and 17 years, who were asked if anyone known in their schools or in the person life had committed suicide, and if they had seriously thought about taking their own lives during the last year.

The researchers found that the risk of suicide grew even in those cases in which the young people did not know the deceased personally. In addition, it was concluded that children between 12 and 13 years are the most at risk and were five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

Ian Colman, leader of the study, points out that exposure to suicide, mainly at an early age, can influence thoughts, behavior and that these effects may persist for a long time.

Video Medicine: Is suicide contagious? (May 2024).