• HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Yea I found out from my server at a restaurant that my cousin killed himself. She was his friend. It had been months since it happened and no one told me that he passed, even though I saw my family recently. Fucked up.

    • krashmo@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      People get really weird about suicide. Almost like they think talking about it will incentivize others to kill themselves.

      • Openopenopenopen@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        there is a phenomenon known as “suicide contagion” or “copycat suicide,” where exposure to suicide can lead to an increase in suicide rates.
        Typically this occurs with media, like when a celebrity is in the news for suicide, but I believe there is still a relationship in just talking about it, especially in younger folks.

        https://www.cmaj.ca/content/185/10/861

        • krashmo@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          I’m not saying there’s nothing to that but it seems to me that if the mere mention of suicide in just about any context is enough to send you over the edge then you were pretty close to falling off already. I find it difficult to attribute much to something like that.

          • fishos@lemmy.world
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            7 days ago

            Exactly. It doesn’t increase suicidal thoughts, it just reminds some that it’s an answer to their thoughts. The solution is reducing the stigma so that people can talk about them freely instead of bottling them up until they reach that point.

      • Flax@feddit.uk
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        6 days ago

        Apparently it actually can, which is why news reports are careful about it and it shouldn’t happen in TV soaps or fictional dramas often