Discussion How often do you hear of suicide where you live

[fkyou]

How often do you hear of suicide (someone ctbed) where you live?
Ps: im not talking about media coverage

 

[SVEN]

Where I live in Britain I only hear of the "big names" covered by the main MSM. Sometimes our local paper will mention the sudden death of a locally well known person, just mentioning that there are no suspicious circumstances. By and large suicides don't get mentioned.

 

[fkyou]

Where I live in Britain I only hear of the "big names" covered by the main MSM. Sometimes our local paper will mention the sudden death of a locally well known person, just mentioning that there are no suspicious circumstances. By and large suicides don't get mentioned.

So people don't go around talking about that in their circles?

 

[isa_nqra1]

its quite common if you look in the right places....
its pretty taboo tho so publicly usually no one talks about it here

 

[Hvergelmir]

I hear about it every once in a few years. For most people it's simply not an interesting topic.
Death is generally not spoken much about, and when it is, there's rarely any suicide involved.

Media generally doesn't disclose cause of death, unless there was crime involved.

 

[Shadows From Hell]

I live in a town of about 3000 people, I don't think suicide is a problem here.

I very rarely hear about a suicide in some of the larger cities around me. They usually just say a body was found, no foul play suspected, but never give a cause for the death.

 

[Ashes of a Dreamer]

Very rare, people don't tend to talk about it, I guess, even though it's common. Somehow, I think people are aligned with the Werther theory*, which assumes that talking about suicide leads others to do the same, like a mirror behaviour.

* Werther theory is linked to the book "The sufferings of young Werther", written by Goethe

 

[JesiBel]

About five years ago, in my neighborhood, two blocks (streets? sorry for my bad english) from my house.

A young man took his life using the "hanging method". The house was abandoned until last year, when it was completely restored for sale.
I don't know what the reasons were, people say a lot of things so I prefer not to make assumptions like them. Life is dark, complicated and full of problems, so...

And another case using the same "method". The son of a family friend. He had addiction problems and he had surrounded himself with "dangerous" people, you know...

And that's also one of the reasons why I'll choose that "method" too... it works.

 

[SVEN]

So people don't go around talking about that in their circles?

They may do, however it doesn't tend to be a subject of local gossip. So, if you were in a social club or darts club etc, I'm sure it would be mentioned if a member ctb. However the subject wouldn't be general in the town.

 

[L'absent]

In our areas, when it comes to discussing suicide, the media tends to be very cautious to avoid the "emulation effect" or "suicide contagion." This phenomenon has been demonstrated by studies showing that detailed coverage or reports that romanticize or glorify the act can lead others to imitate the method. This isn't limited to vulnerable individuals—it's a phenomenon that can affect anyone.
One historical example is Luigi Tenco's case in the 1960s. After his suicide, the media released explicit details, including photos of the scene and the position of his body. This sensationalistic approach caused a significant rise in firearm suicides, estimated at around 40%, and this increase even spread beyond Italy. Another example is Robin Williams' suicide, which led to a 30% worldwide increase in suicides using similar methods, fueled by identification with him and the detailed coverage. In contrast, Kurt Cobain's case was handled differently; his wife, Courtney Love, criticized the act instead of glorifying it, which helped limit the emulation effect.
These examples show how the way a suicide is communicated makes a big difference. For this reason, the media follows strict guidelines, avoiding detailed or sensationalist reporting—not out of respect for the victims, but to contain the emulation effect and its potential social consequences. However, suicides are far more frequent than they appear, but they are deliberately obscured or downplayed to avoid triggering further cases.
One of the prevention strategies is to make suicide methods seem extremely difficult to achieve, very painful, or frightening. This is particularly evident in online searches, where pain, complications, and potential errors that could lead to permanent injuries rather than death are heavily emphasized. Frequently discussing survival instincts or mechanisms that could interfere with the process reinforces fear, which acts as a powerful deterrent. Even small percentages of failure are exaggerated to instill doubt and fear, encouraging people to reconsider and choose to live.
There are many prevention strategies in place. Beyond media management and fostering fear, there are practical interventions, such as protective barriers on bridges or limiting the size of medication packages to prevent overdoses. These systems of prevention work on multiple levels to reduce risk and send a clear message: suicide is neither simple nor an easy solution.
I started a thread on this forum to collect all the suicide cases reported in the news, but it's an incredibly difficult task. The information is often fragmented, summarized briefly, and with very few details. In many cases, all you know is that someone has taken their own life, with no information about the method or circumstances. This makes it challenging to address the topic transparently or explore it as thoroughly as it deserves.

To confirm this atmosphere of censorship, I can share a personal example: I once posted a thread about a girl who jumped from a high floor (I can't remember if it was the third or fourth), and I included an image of an "angel dive" to represent the event. For this, I was accused of romanticizing the incident—the same accusations often directed at newspapers. These kinds of criticisms stem from the pro-life logic and concerns about the imitative effects such content might provoke.

What becomes clear, however, is that no one is truly immune to this form of censorship—not even here, in a space that claims to be free and open to discussion. Even in a forum like this, which is supposed to lack restrictions, censorship is present—sometimes subtly, other times more overtly.

 

[fkyou]

Very rare, people don't tend to talk about it, I guess, even though it's common. Somehow, I think people are aligned with the Werther theory*, which assumes that talking about suicide leads others to do the same, like a mirror behaviour.

* Werther theory is linked to the book "The sufferings of young Werther", written by Goethe

It's common? Where I live I rarely heard of it that's why I assumed it's a rare occurrence and people rarely end their lives/I feel im alone in this

 

[L'absent]

Imagine if an article were written like this:

"It was a flawless suicide.

The bullet fired perforated the skull, directly hitting the brainstem, ensuring instant death without any pain. Breathing and heartbeat stopped on the spot, turning existence into non-existence faster than it takes to yawn. The body was found in a pool of blood in the bedroom, but all in all, the scene was clean: one shot, no chaos, almost like a work of art. The family, too, wasn't even that upset, especially after the will revealed a nice inheritance, distributed evenly to those who really needed it. In the end, all is well that ends well—or at least, that's how it seems."

Of course, I'm exaggerating, but think about it: in a completely free information context, such news should theoretically be publishable. Yet, they aren't. Not because there's a lack of desire to report or a taste for sensationalism, but because articles like this, no matter how sarcastic, would end up fueling morbid fascination and risk sparking emulation.

In the end, such a detailed description, with that tragicomic touch, could turn a tragedy into some sort of unintentional manual or, worse, a nearly celebratory narrative. That's why censorship on these topics is not just an ethical choice but a strategic move to prevent someone from thinking, "Hey, it doesn't seem so bad after all..."

It's irony and fiction that, damn it, keep us afloat in this life.

 

[Hvergelmir]

common

I guess it's a matter of perspective.
0.0147% in the U.S. but also 50 000 people/year.

 

[J&L383]

How often do you hear of suicide (someone ctbed) where you live?
Ps: im not talking about media coverage

Three people over the past five years: a renter in a house owned by a friend; the stepdaughter of that same friend in his house (OD on oxy, not deemed a suicide but that's what I suspect); and a friend of that same friend. (Maybe I shouldn't be friends with this guy?! ). And also, ten years ago there were two women I knew who I later learned had killed themselves.

 

[Ashes of a Dreamer]

One of the prevention strategies is to make suicide methods seem extremely difficult to achieve, very painful, or frightening. This is particularly evident in online searches, where pain, complications, and potential errors that could lead to permanent injuries rather than death are heavily emphasized. Frequently discussing survival instincts or mechanisms that could interfere with the process reinforces fear, which acts as a powerful deterrent.

That's exactly the point. And some methods are indeed difficult to obtain, albeit there are some that are extremely accessible - hanging, for example.

 

[divinemistress87]

If you look at local obituaries you will see some

 

[LostLily]

Suicide is so taboo that even if someone dies by it they won't mention the cause of death

 

[Nadir]

UK. Rarely. Had a housemate that ctb thru alcohol(I found him, so cold), a partners brother thru hanging, friends dad thru hanging, friends dad, thru grapevine I know of 5? friends partners and about 4 friends of friends, soon my friends will know of me. Lil peep, juice wrld, Trevor strnad, Robin williams, are celebs that come to mind. Yeh it's not talked about here at all except maybe in 12step programs. Most of those ppl were on drugs/alcohol, which is obvious why.

And I obviously don't know but ones reported by news are presented with affirming narratives/selective information presented and also attached to a plea or cause. It isn't just talked about, especially not as a solution to a problem.

 

[-nobodyknows-]

Pretty much never. I've only known one person irl who killed themselves.

 

[foreverstardust]

In the UK at least there is a hesitance to label deaths as a suicide, even when it's clear that it was. I'm not sure why, there have been deaths ruled as accidents even who suicide notes have been left, it seems so stupid to deny what happened to someone especially if they really want to break the taboo and stigma of it.

In my personal life my mum was the first person I ever knew directly, and there were a couple kids and a teacher when I was in school who tried/succeeded.