Biddle et al. offer an interesting, but not surprising, finding by
investigating the suicide-related information on the web and revealing
that pro-suicide websites are far more common and more easily located by a
number of generic search engine keywords like "suicide", "suicide
methods" or "suicide sure method" etc.[1]
But we suspect that some suicidal web-users look for information
about a specific suicide method, which involve some technical details on
how to carry them out. This group of vulnerable people may instead enter
specific keywords like "charcoal burning" or "homemade gas" to
actively seek information about that method to die.
It is worth exploring further the role of the Internet in the rapid
emergence of some suicide methods across several Asian countries. For
instance, carbon monoxide poisoning by burning charcoal has been portrayed
by the mass media in Hong Kong as an easy, painless and effective means of
ending one's life since 1998.[2] It appeared to be spread more widely
from Hong Kong to other places through the media, including the
Internet.[2, 3] In Japan, it is commonly known as a suicide method
associated with Internet suicides and suicide pacts.[4] Suicides by gas
poisoning (mainly charcoal-burning) skyrocketed from 31 in 1998 to 1,300
in 2005 in Taiwan and became the second most prevalent suicide method in
that country.[5]
Recently, Japanese media reported that at least six people committed
suicide over a weekend by gas poisoning which was "home-made" by mixing
cleaning liquid and bath salts. These people are believed to have learned
this rare and sophisticated method of committing suicide from the
Internet.
It is not uncommon for people in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan to be
aware of these novel ways of committing suicide through the mass media
reporting on the suicide cases. For instance, 47% of suicide deaths in
Hong Kong were found to have newspaper coverage in 2000. The extensive and
sensational coverage of suicide death among the media in Asia is much more
serious than that of western countries.[6] Some readers, especially the
more vulnerable ones, may conceive that suicide by that specific method is
a "normal" or "common" response to their personal problems. These
people who have thought about suicide may intend to seek more information
and understand the technical descriptions of some suicide methods. More
than that, being exposed to web postings that encourage people to consider
suicide may reinforce those vulnerable people to move from suicidal
thought to action. So the Internet itself becomes a catalyst, and provides
this group of people an interactive, privacy-protected and self-initiated
medium to acquire the information they need and to reconfirm the
"correctness" of their suicidal thought.
Self-regulation is suggested as an approach to reducing the potential
harm of Internet suicide. But in the Web 2.0 era, the user-initiated media
like applications of Wikipedia, blog or social network have been growing
rapidly every minute and these media are virtually impossible to be
regulated by the traditional modes, such as self-regulation by code of
practice or licensing. Lawful enforcement may be effective but care should
be taken to avoid sacrificing the freedom of expression enjoyed by the
whole Internet world. Apart from the legislation in Australia[1],
Taiwanese lawmakers are currently drafting a bill to protect teenagers
against the suggestive suicide through the Internet.
In view of the global nature of Internet, it seems logical that a
global effort is needed to contain the negative effect of Internet on
suicides.
References:
1. Biddle L, Donovan J, Hawton K, Kapur N, Gunnell D. Suicide and the
Internet. BMJ 2008;336(7648):800-2.
2. Chan KP, Yip PS, Au J, Lee DT. Charcoal-burning suicide in post-
transition Hong Kong. Br J Psychiatry 2005;186:67-73.
3. Liu KY, Beautrais A, Caine E, Chan K, Chao A, Conwell Y, et al.
Charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong and urban Taiwan: an illustration
of the impact of a novel suicide method on overall regional rates. J
Epidemiol Community Health 2007;61(3):248-53.
4. Naito A. Internet suicide in Japan: Implications for child and
adolescent mental health. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
2007;12(4):583-597.
5. Lin JJ, Lu TH. Suicide mortality trends by sex, age and method in
Taiwan, 1971-2005. BMC Public Health 2008;8:6.
6. Au JS, Yip PS, Chan CL, Law YW. Newspaper reporting of suicide
cases in Hong Kong. Crisis 2004;25(4):161-168.
Rapid Response:
Emerging suicide methods in Asia and the Internet
Emerging suicide methods in Asia and the Internet
Biddle et al. offer an interesting, but not surprising, finding by
investigating the suicide-related information on the web and revealing
that pro-suicide websites are far more common and more easily located by a
number of generic search engine keywords like "suicide", "suicide
methods" or "suicide sure method" etc.[1]
But we suspect that some suicidal web-users look for information
about a specific suicide method, which involve some technical details on
how to carry them out. This group of vulnerable people may instead enter
specific keywords like "charcoal burning" or "homemade gas" to
actively seek information about that method to die.
It is worth exploring further the role of the Internet in the rapid
emergence of some suicide methods across several Asian countries. For
instance, carbon monoxide poisoning by burning charcoal has been portrayed
by the mass media in Hong Kong as an easy, painless and effective means of
ending one's life since 1998.[2] It appeared to be spread more widely
from Hong Kong to other places through the media, including the
Internet.[2, 3] In Japan, it is commonly known as a suicide method
associated with Internet suicides and suicide pacts.[4] Suicides by gas
poisoning (mainly charcoal-burning) skyrocketed from 31 in 1998 to 1,300
in 2005 in Taiwan and became the second most prevalent suicide method in
that country.[5]
Recently, Japanese media reported that at least six people committed
suicide over a weekend by gas poisoning which was "home-made" by mixing
cleaning liquid and bath salts. These people are believed to have learned
this rare and sophisticated method of committing suicide from the
Internet.
It is not uncommon for people in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan to be
aware of these novel ways of committing suicide through the mass media
reporting on the suicide cases. For instance, 47% of suicide deaths in
Hong Kong were found to have newspaper coverage in 2000. The extensive and
sensational coverage of suicide death among the media in Asia is much more
serious than that of western countries.[6] Some readers, especially the
more vulnerable ones, may conceive that suicide by that specific method is
a "normal" or "common" response to their personal problems. These
people who have thought about suicide may intend to seek more information
and understand the technical descriptions of some suicide methods. More
than that, being exposed to web postings that encourage people to consider
suicide may reinforce those vulnerable people to move from suicidal
thought to action. So the Internet itself becomes a catalyst, and provides
this group of people an interactive, privacy-protected and self-initiated
medium to acquire the information they need and to reconfirm the
"correctness" of their suicidal thought.
Self-regulation is suggested as an approach to reducing the potential
harm of Internet suicide. But in the Web 2.0 era, the user-initiated media
like applications of Wikipedia, blog or social network have been growing
rapidly every minute and these media are virtually impossible to be
regulated by the traditional modes, such as self-regulation by code of
practice or licensing. Lawful enforcement may be effective but care should
be taken to avoid sacrificing the freedom of expression enjoyed by the
whole Internet world. Apart from the legislation in Australia[1],
Taiwanese lawmakers are currently drafting a bill to protect teenagers
against the suggestive suicide through the Internet.
In view of the global nature of Internet, it seems logical that a
global effort is needed to contain the negative effect of Internet on
suicides.
References:
1. Biddle L, Donovan J, Hawton K, Kapur N, Gunnell D. Suicide and the
Internet. BMJ 2008;336(7648):800-2.
2. Chan KP, Yip PS, Au J, Lee DT. Charcoal-burning suicide in post-
transition Hong Kong. Br J Psychiatry 2005;186:67-73.
3. Liu KY, Beautrais A, Caine E, Chan K, Chao A, Conwell Y, et al.
Charcoal burning suicides in Hong Kong and urban Taiwan: an illustration
of the impact of a novel suicide method on overall regional rates. J
Epidemiol Community Health 2007;61(3):248-53.
4. Naito A. Internet suicide in Japan: Implications for child and
adolescent mental health. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry
2007;12(4):583-597.
5. Lin JJ, Lu TH. Suicide mortality trends by sex, age and method in
Taiwan, 1971-2005. BMC Public Health 2008;8:6.
6. Au JS, Yip PS, Chan CL, Law YW. Newspaper reporting of suicide
cases in Hong Kong. Crisis 2004;25(4):161-168.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests