Mass/cluster suicide is, unfortunately, a poorly understood and researched phenomenon. The Werther-effect seems to be a good first pass at describing what is li

Mass/cluster suicide is, unfortunately, a poorly understood and researched phenomenon. The Werther-effect seems to be a good first pass at describing what is likely to be a manifestation of many underlying causes [0]. Though this may sound like a broken record: more funding is needed. Suicide can be described like any other disease [1]. It has a coefficient of communicability/spread. Though I can't find the citation, it is thought that social media has increased this coefficient by ~22x ; meaning that suicide has become much easier to 'catch'. In the US, a fair few suicide 'clusters' have sprung up and many more are likely being hidden by empathetic, yet mis-guided, coroners. One famous one was in at Palo Alto HS in California[2], where a lot of Stanford's Professors sent their kids. Another, still ongoing, is in Colorado Springs' religious High School network[3]. I'll let Newsweek speak for the true horror that is possible via new technology: >“This is the part that kills me—I know she was texting other kids at the time and letting them know,” he says. She wrote, “My feet are off the floor,” and “Everything is getting hazy and dark.” None of the kids intervened; one responded by suggesting she “unhang.” Suicide is also prevalent in east Africa currently [1] and there have been spats of it throughout time in a wide variety of place and for a large range of reasons[4]. Even talking about suicide at all, like I am currently doing, can increase it's reach. It's a very tricky thing to research and combat, as a consequence. PLEASE, if you are feeling suicidal, reach out! Call a friend, a family member, or someone you feel safe with. CALL THIS NUMBER NOW: 1-800-273-8255 [0] Like describing a stuffy nose; it has many causes. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_suicide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_suicide [2] https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/12/the-silicon-valley-suicides/413140/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/12/the-sil... [3] https://www.newsweek.com/2016/10/28/teen-suicide-contagious-colorado-springs-511365.html https://www.newsweek.com/2016/10/28/teen-suicide-contagious-... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_epidemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_epidemic