Most people might not be aware that forwarding the latest sad suicide story or image can have very harmful consequences for society. The “Werther Effect” is a real, researched “copycat” phenomenon whereby sharing stories and news about suicide can actually lead to an increase in suicidal behaviour in the community. In other words, when a person shares suicide news with friends, he or she is “suggesting” the idea of suicide to his or her friends. Based on my many years of observation, I believe that in the past 15 years the Werther Effect has indeed occurred in Malaysian society. So I strongly urge everyone to stop reposting and sharing news, images and videos about suicide!

Source: The Star July 03, 2021 01:30 UTC