Suicidal ideation appeared to be 'contagious' among teens
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| Illustration of teenage depression. © Shutterstock.com / Suzanne Tucker |
The research was conducted in adolescents aged 12-17 years. His teens who died by suicide at higher risk of committing suicide than teens who do not have a friend who died from suicide.
The idea that suicide could be 'contagious' has been around for centuries, said Dr. Ian Colman who study mental health at the University of Ottawa. Past research that supports this idea, but no one focuses on teens and students.
"There are many things that surprise from this study. We were surprised at the long-term effects as well as the power of influence," said Colman, as reported by the NY Daily News.
Colman and colleagues used data from the national survey of 8,000 Canadian adolescents aged 12-17 years. They were asked about the suicide of their classmates, friends, and their thoughts about suicide. After that, the researcher met them again two years later.
For children aged 12-13 years who had a school friend who died by suicide, about 15 percent reported never thought seriously about suicide, while seven percent actually tried it. In children the same age but did not have a friend who committed suicide, the trend is only three per cent and two per cent.
This result is similar to the trend in children aged 14-17 years. However, children who do not have friends who have committed suicide in this age are more likely to do or think about suicide as their own.
Knowing the results of this research it helps parents always keep the moral health of children and instill good morals. This is to prevent children affected by events experienced by their friends, or affected by bad idea to commit suicide.
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