Citation

Poijula S, Wahlberg KE, Dyregrov A. Int. J. Emerg. Ment. Health 2001; 3(3): 163-168.

Affiliation

Oy Synolon Ltd., Center for Trauma Psychology, Valtatie 16 as 11, 90500 Oulu, Finland. Soili.Poijula@netppl.fi

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Chevron Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11642194

Abstract

This study investigated crisis intervention in three secondary schools after the suicides of five students, focusing on the relation between crisis intervention and suicide contagion. The contagion hypothesis was supported. Following a suicide, the number of suicides that occurred in secondary schools in one year were markedly increased beyond chance. No new suicides took place at schools where adequate first talk-throughs and psychological debriefing were conducted by a mental health professional. Proper crisis intervention is recommended to prevent suicide contagion in schools.

Language: en