Werther effect: the reason why suicide is contagious

On the morning of August 7, 1962, the world woke up shocked. The night before, the housekeeper of the famous actress Marilyn Monroe had found her body in the bathroom. The media did not take long to confirm that it was a suicide. During the following months, 303 young people took their lives. The Werther effect once again illustrated the front pages of newspapers.

In the 90s, many years after that notorious case, North American society was experiencing something similar again with the death of Kurt Cobain. Every time the media reported on the suicide of a famous person, an epidemic of suicides shook the country.

But what kind of connection could exist between someone from show business and a normal person? Was it possible that these individuals followed a kind of imitation process or were they simply morbid coincidences??

What is the Werther effect?

The Werther effect was the term designated by sociologist David Phillips in 1974 to define the imitative effect of suicidal behavior. The name comes from the novel “The Sorrows of Young Werther”, by the German writer Wolfgang von Goethe. In it, the protagonist ends up committing suicide for love.

Its success was such that shortly after its publication, in 1774, About 40 young people took their lives in a very similar way to the protagonist. This strange and macabre phenomenon led to the banning of the book in countries such as Italy and Denmark.

Based on similar cases, Phillips conducted a study between 1947 and 1968 in which he found revealing data. The month after The New York Times published a story related to the suicide of someone he knew the rate of people taking their own lives increased by almost 12%.

This pattern has continued to repeat itself to this day. In mid-2017, Canada tried to ban the series “13 Reasons Why” after considering that it could cause the same effect. The World Health Organization has even prepared a document with guidelines to follow for journalists reporting on events related to suicide.

Is it dangerous to talk about suicide in the media?

It depends on the way it is done. One of the tips to keep in mind is to try not to go into details or omit elements that may awaken a feeling of compassion. An event of these characteristics does not have to trigger any imitative process, but what is certain is that we must strip any news or reflection of any iota of sensationalism that it may include.

Some experts reject the Werther effect in its entirety, but not its nuances. They believe that it is possible for people with suicidal tendencies to copy the way of dying of famous people, but at the same time They exempt the latter from all responsibility for the deaths of others.

It is necessary to treat news of this type with special sensitivity. Photos or identifying elements should not be shown, especially in the case of children and adolescents. It is important that suicide is not idealized or romanticized as an escape route.

How to avoid romanticizing suicide

Despite what it may seem, it is necessary to talk about suicide to be able to say that there is always another way out and to indicate to those who do not see it where they can look for it. Keep silent and look away alone serves to stigmatize a problem that affects more and more people. It should always try to be done in a respectful and assertive way, eliminating the enormous taboo that surrounds it. Making a reality invisible or hiding does not mean that it does not exist, but rather that it becomes increasingly stronger.

A work of fiction, in any form, does not encourage suicide. The same thing happens with the news, which does not mean that Information must be managed in a correct and responsible way. At the time when “The Sorrows of Young Werther” was published we did not have the information and means that we currently have. Thus, correctly expressing our emotions and Asking for help should be a much easier solution than taking our own lives, and we can all participate in it as a society.

Bibliographic references

Phillips, David P. (June 1974). The Influence of Suggestion on Suicide: Substantive and Theoretical Implications of the Werther Effect. American Sociological Review, Vol.39 (3), pg.340-354