Stop sharing suicide news, it hurts society!

I HAVE noticed that Malaysians frequently use social media to share news, photos and videos of people who have committed suicide. Sometimes, these images and videos become a hot topic of discussion and go viral.

Most people might not be aware that forwarding the latest sad suicide story or image can have very harmful consequences for society. The “Werther Effect” is a real, researched “copycat” phenomenon whereby sharing stories and news about suicide can actually lead to an increase in suicidal behaviour in the community. Suicide becomes “contagious” to a certain extent.