TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Effect of the broadcast of a television documentary on a teenager's suicide in Israel on suicide rates and methods
JO  - Psychiatria Danubina
A1  - Shoval, Gal
A1  - Zalsman, Gil
A1  - Polakevitch, Jacob
A1  - Shtein, Nechama
A1  - Sommerfeld, Eliane
A1  - Berger, E.
A1  - Apter, Alan
SP  - 150
EP  - 150
VL  - 18
IS  - Suppl 1
N2  - Portrayals of suicide in the media are controversial because they may impact on suicide rates and methods. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of the promotion of a television documentary wherein an adolescent girl is interviewed about her suicide plan and subsequently commits suicide. National suicide rates during the 8 weeks prior to the program and the 4 weeks following it were compared to the same periods in the previous year. There was no significant difference in the rates of fatal and nonfatal suicide attempts before and after the program. There was a shift toward the method used in the film after the broadcast, but it was found to be nonspecific to that year. There was a significant decrease in the mean age of suicide attempters in the last promotional week prior to the broadcast compared to the previous year (p = 0.032). This finding raises the question of whether repeated showing of the promo is more dangerous than the program itself.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0353-5053
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -