TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - Increases in demand for crisis and other suicide prevention services after a celebrity suicide JO - Psychiatric services A1 - Ramchand, Rajeev A1 - Cohen, Elan A1 - Draper, John A1 - Schoenbaum, Michael A1 - Reidenberg, Dan A1 - Colpe, Lisa A1 - Reed, Jerry A1 - Pearson, Jane SP - 728 EP - 731 VL - 70 IS - 8 N2 - OBJECTIVE: This study examined data on acute (i.e., within 30 days) increases in suicides, help and information seeking, and service capacity after a celebrity suicide.

METHODS: Daily suicide data, call volume to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL), and visits to two suicide prevention Web sites before and after entertainer Robin Williams' death on August 11, 2014, were examined.

RESULTS: Before August 11 in 2012, 2013, and 2014, daily suicide deaths averaged between 113 and 117; in 2014, the count increased to 142, an increase not observed in 2012 and 2013. The number of calls to the NSPL rose by up to 300%, but answered calls decreased from an average of 71% to 57%. Visits to both Web sites also increased dramatically.

CONCLUSIONS: Dramatic increases in all three measured outcomes in the days after a celebrity suicide were noted, suggesting the need for contingency plans to meet immediate increased demand.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1075-2730 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900007 ID - ref1 ER -