In the wake of any high-profile suicide, public health experts steel themselves for the aftershock. Suicide contagion, the phenomenon by which exposure to one suicide death can trigger suicidal behavior in others, is well-documented but poorly understood.
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
A recent study published in the #JournalSocietyandMentalHealth adds to the knowledge about why #suicidecontagion occurs. And it spotlights a common mistake that people may make when a community experiences suicide: normalizing these deaths.
“When there’s an unexpected death, people take notice,” says study co-author Seth Abrutyn, an assistant professor of sociology at the #UniversityofBritishColumbiainCanada. “They try to make sense of what’s happening.” And when they do, Abrutyn says, community members may unwittingly contribute to suicide contagion.
For the study, Abrutyn and his colleague Anna Mueller embedded in “Poplar Grove,” a pseudonym for a wealthy, predominantly white suburb in the U.S. with an unusually high youth suicide rate. At least 16 current or recently graduated #highschool students there have died by #suicide since 2005, the paper says. Three distinct “#suicideclusters,” or related strings of #suicidedeaths, have been identified in Poplar Grove, and each one involved at least one “high status” young woman who was academically, socially and extracurricularly successful.
For more than two years (during which time three new suicides occurred) the researchers conducted dozens of in-depth interviews and focus groups in the community to learn about the roots of suicide contagion. They interviewed 98 Poplar Grove residents who knew someone in the community who had died by #suicide, as well as 20 young people who had lost a loved one to #suicide but didn’t have a connection to Poplar Grove.
They noticed two distinct patterns. Outside Poplar Grove, most people mentioned #mentalillness as the primary catalyst of suicide. But within Poplar Grove, a striking number described a community-wide culture of academic, athletic and social pressure that they believed was responsible. (Many mentioned mental illness as well.)
“It just kept coming up,” Abrutyn says. “That was the story that everyone was sticking to,” whether they were asked about recent #suicides or those that had occurred years ago. Many young interviewees also said they felt this pressure themselves.
There is some value in broadening discussions about #suicide beyond #mentalhealthissues alone, Abrutyn says. #Suicide deaths rarely have one singular cause, and blaming every #suicide death on #mentalhealth conditions could contribute to stigma around these diagnoses, Abrutyn says. But Poplar Grove’s collective narrative of linking a high-pressure environment to #suicide may have inadvertently contributed to suicide clusters, Abrutyn says.
When young people start to equate #suicide with a way to escape a common problem or experience, it can seem like an increasingly viable and understandable option, he says. “It makes #suicide applicable to kids who are also experiencing that problem,” he explains — especially when kids who seem to “have it all” die by suicide. “[Other students think,] ‘If their struggles led to this, then perhaps this is a way of expressing the distress that adults aren’t seeing or hearing or picking up on.’”
Poplar Grove, a tight-knit, affluent community with an academically rigorous high school, was the perfect breeding ground for this pressure narrative, Abrutyn says. But while other schools or communities might develop slightly different explanations for suicide, he says it’s likely that every group has a story of some kind. No matter the details, the result could be the same: making death by suicide seem like an understandable response to a shared issue.
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“There are more Poplar Groves in the United States,” Abrutyn says. “It’s really more chance that there aren’t more of these cluster sites than anything. It’s really one high-status suicide away from potentially changing the story in that community.”
Abrutyn’s study comes just a few weeks after two students in #Parkland, Fla. — at least one of whom survived the mass shooting there last year — died by suicide just days apart, in an apparent example of suicide contagion. The successive suicide deaths of famed designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain last year also contributed to fears of suicide contagion because they were broadcast and publicized so widely. Researchers estimate that the 2014 suicide death of actor #RobinWilliams contributed to a 10% increase in suicides over the following four months.
Research has shown that media coverage of high-profile deaths like these can contribute to suicide contagion. But when done properly, and when paired with an appropriate community response, it can also be a way to dispel potentially dangerous thought patterns about suicide, Abrutyn says.
“There is some suggestive evidence that narratives or stories about resilience have potentially positive protective effects,” Abrutyn says. That can mean “telling the story about kids who have actually pulled through these struggles, and [emphasizing that] there are ways to get help,” rather than only memorializing or glamorizing those who have died by suicide. Schools and community figures should also give clear and non-inflammatory information about suicide, the authors write. Finally, it’s important to avoid stigmatizing psychological pain, and instead, encourage those who are struggling to seek help.
If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider.
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org