Photo: DPAA number of tragic deaths linked to a German novel sparked discussion about the effects of depicting suicide in the media. ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ could be considered the world's first best-seller, and its author, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is the most celebrated German author in history. It was coined by sociologist David P. Phillips to mean a copycat suicide influenced by a real or fictional suicide presented in the media, also known as suicide contagion. The Werther Effect was cause for concern last year after the release of the hugely popular Netflix series ‘13 Reasons Why’, known in Germany as 'Tote Mädchen lügen nicht', or 'dead girls don't lie'. Several mental health organizations, including the Jed Foundation and Everymind, voiced concerns about the series for a number of reasons.

Source: The Local February 16, 2018 13:18 UTC