Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

The suicide of a student has a rippling effect in the school environment as well as in the greater community, as a single adolescent death by suicide increases the risk of additional suicides. The process by which a completed suicide (or at times, suicidal behavior) increases the suicidal behavior of others is called contagion. When multiple suicides occur close in time and geographical area, at a rate greater than normally would be expected in a given community, it is considered a cluster (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 1988). Adolescents are the most susceptible age group for imitating suicidal behavior; therefore, discussions of contagion often center on prevention efforts in the school environment, necessitating that school psychologists play a central role. Approximately 1–5% of teen suicides occur in a cluster after a youth dies by suicide (Gould & Lake, 2013). Though rare, contagion results in approximately 100–200 seemingly preventable deaths annually. Clusters There are two main types of suicide clusters that may impact adolescents in the school environment. Mass clusters are characterized by a temporary increase in suicides during a time period (irrespective of geography) and are often associated with the influence that media reports may have, such as the suicide of a celebrity or a high-profile figure. Point clusters are characterized by an increase in suicides that are close in time or space and occur in communities (such as schools). Mass clusters The specific impact of a celebrity suicide on adolescents is not easily discernable, making it difficult to draw general conclusions; however, several case examples demonstrate the effects of unsafe messaging in news reporting. After Chris Cornell, lead singer of the band Soundgarden died in 2017, vivid details of the police report of the moments leading up to his suicide were published (Pescara-Kovach, 2017). On Cornell’s birthday, his close friend, Chester Bennington, lead singer from the band Linkin Park, died by suicide in a very similar manner. Several subsequent suicides by adolescent fans were linked to these deaths, as the methods utilized bore resemblance to the details shared in the celebrity cases. The impact was additionally noted via correlation, as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline received a 14% increase in calls on the day after Bennington’s death (Pescara-Kovach, 2017). Similarly, after the suicide death of comedian Robin Williams, there was an almost 10% increase in deaths by suicide, particularly among males ages 30–44 (Fink, Santaella-Tenorio, & Keyes, 2018). The impact of the recent deaths by suicide of the celebrities Kate Spade (2018) and Anthony Bourdain (2018) on subsequent suicides is not yet known; however, safe messaging was noted across several news outlets. For example, People magazine printed the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number (1-800- 273-TALK) on the masthead of their issue covering the stories that week and the Daily News printed suicide warning signs, as well. In contrast however, there was considerable discussion of the similar details of their methods in many articles. The impact of entertainment media on suicide contagion has also been noted for fictional characters that die via suicide (Gould & Lake, 2013). This was particularly apparent with the fictional series 13 Reasons Why (Netflix), as there was a 19% increase (one million additional searches) in Internet searches about suicide immediately after Appendix 2 Article: Suicide Contagion and Clusters—Part 1: What School Psychologists Should Know 123