Copycat Suicides
The media is killing us. Suicide rates increase following news stories about suicides called copycat suicides. The mere act of publicising suicide information increases the likelihood of suicides especially for at risk target groups namely those under 25 yrs old, according to the World Health Organisation.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/426.pdf
A literature review of the suicides in the US Army found the opposite of what we were taught. Soliders tend to off themselves in the first two months of training vs the post-deployment hypothesis. According to the study, the period of highest risk was just two months after starting military service for 163000 men and women in the US Army; 61% were never deployed.
It’s no surprise to me because the first two months involve ripping a person’s soul out and replacing it with killer brainwashed monsters, not all soldiers can handle the Jackal and Hyde transformation. Suicide is the result.
It’s a catch 22, as the military has destigmatized mental disorders like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and talked about suicide statistics, military suicides have skyrocketed. Copycat suicides are the result of more education on mental illness, the exact opposite of the military’s anti-suicide campaign goals.
The two biggest reasons for committing suicide in the military are finance troubles, #1, and relationship troubles, #2. For example, when I was a young servicemember and broke up with my first long term girlfriend (3 years), my command section i.e. 1st Sergeant, immediate supervisor and NCOIC had a conference call with me. They offered help because they thought I was sad and possibly prone to suicide. I remember it was like walking on egg shells. They weren’t very psychologically knowledgeable about the subject, but it was a nice gesture.
Biologically speaking, my cells commit suicide daily called apoptosis. Apoptosis is sometimes referred to as programmed cell death. Apoptosis is a utilitarian biological function where it kills itself for the greater good of the whole. Internal suicide is actually healthy for Earth’s organisms as well as external suicides.
The same can be said for external suicides. If you’ve ever been around depressed people then you’ll understand why. Depressed people drop the morale of everyone in their circles including decreased work utility.
There’s a brief mourning period following an external suicide vs prolonged periods where all circles are affected. With suicide only one person is terminally affected then the rest of us can return to normal productivity output. It’s much healthier for the non-depressed involved when the depressed person commits suicide.
Alcoholics, smokers, and overeating enthusiasts practice slow suicide daily. Alcoholics will develop liver disease. Smokers routinely die from lung and heart disease. Overeating enthusiasts die of a combination of all of the above plus diabetes. The root cause is slow suicide.
My buddies don’t talk about partying and overeating as a form of suicide because they are "normal" thinkers. Knowingly ingesting poison of which alcohol, opioids, and cigarettes, etc are then it’s time to face the music and call a spade a slow suicide.
In persuasion psychology, the manipulation of others, copycat suicides can be explained by the principle of social proof. An example of social proof is rubber necking car accidents which every driver has been guilty. "Normal" people tend to do what other normal people do especially if we believe the other person is an "expert." FYI, to be called an expert similar to a financial advisor requires zero experience. Scientific evidence supports the hypothesis that sensationalising suicides also links to increased copycat suicide rates.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201208/when-suicides-come-in-clusters
Media profits most when broadcasting extremist, narcissistic, nut jobs like Donald Drumpf+kin, DAESH, Assad, etc combined with highly conflict oriented drama.
We should be careful going forward knowing the simple act of sensationalising suicides link to increased rates of copycat suicides. Encourage the media to responsibly report on suicides going forward.
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