Yet 18,690 suicides were reported in the four months after Williams' death: an additional 1,841, or a 9.85% increase, compared with the expected number. The researchers also found a greater-than-expected number of suffocation suicides -- which includes hanging -- in the months after Williams' death: a 32% increase in the method used by the comedian himself. "We found both a rapid increase in suicides in August 2014, and specifically suffocation suicides, that paralleled the time and method of Williams' death," Fink said. Though he cannot say for sure that Williams' death inspired copycat suicides, the significant rise in suicides coupled with frequent media reports about the actor's death suggests a connection, he said. Just as traditional media reports about Williams' death and suicide drastically increased in the weeks after his death, so did posts on social media sites.

Source: CNN February 07, 2018 19:25 UTC