How Search Engines Handle Suicide Queries

The suicide contagion effect posits that exposure to suicide- related content increases the likelihood of an individual engaging in suicidal behavior. Internet suicide-related queries correlate with suicide prevalence. However, suicide-related searches also lead people to access help resources. This article systematically evaluates the results returned from both general suicide terms and terms related to specific suicide means across three popular search engines—Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo— in both English and Spanish. We find that Bing and DuckDuckGo surface harmful content more often than Google. We assess whether search engines show suicide prevention hotline information, and find that 53% of English queries have this information, compared to 13% of Spanish queries. Looking across platforms, 55% of Google queries include hotline information, compared to 35% for Bing and 10% for DuckDuckGo. Specific suicide means queries are 20% more likely to surface harmful results on Bing and DuckDuckGo compared to general suicide term queries, with no difference on Google.

Bridgend “Bebo Internet Suicide Cult” and ritual violence in Wales

IntroductionIn a small South Wales town 17 teenagers seemingly committed suicide through hanging in 2008 triggering national media coverage. In the same region, several “Satanist” offenders were successfully prosecuted since.ObjectivesThis paper raises awareness of this “suicide epidemic” and its possible links to ritual violence ideologies.AimsThe research explores how “mind control” through secret societies can lead to suicide and murder.MethodsThe research was prompted by client disclosures of a crime series that lead to a false “delusional” diagnosis. Review of the sparse literature and media coverage was used to ascertain themes.ResultsColin Batley, a self-styled Satanist high priest, was sentenced for child sexual abuse alongside 4 others. His son Damien had died through aspiration when filming himself in a “sexual stimulation game”.Ian Watkins, disgraced singer of “The Lost Prophets”, was sentenced for abusing two babies provided by two “super-fan” mums. Peaches Geldorf tweeted their names, got a tattoo of O.T.O, a Satanist “kinky sex” group and was found dead a year later.Albert and Carole Hickman were sentenced for sexually abusing an 11-year-old including “sucking blood”.Matthew Williams cannibalised his victim before being killed with a police taser.Conclusions“Hanging” and “Over-dosing” could be the result of suicide or of “being suicided”. The abuse crimes of all three Satanists convicted in the last 15 years in UK courts occurred in South Wales. Associated violent death in the vicinity of the cases and authority irregularities suggest the operation of an “Organised ritualised crime abuse network” posing challenges for psychiatry.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Internet Use and Suicidal Ideation among Young People: A Narrative Review

The Internet is being widely used by many, and it has greatly affected the medical field, especially in terms of the learning and practice of psychiatry. Record-keeping and the transmission of information are facilitated and made available to many through accessibility to the Internet. However, there are some shortcomings following the advancement of the Internet. Suicide, which is regarded as a serious public health issue, has been related to the use of the Internet. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize and assess the existing work on the influence of internet usage over suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among young people. The appropriate studies were identified through four databases, namely Ebscohost, Ovid, PsyArticle and SAGE Publications. The key terms employed in the search were “problematic Internet use”, “Internet use”, “suicidal*” and “adolescent*”, and the publications were limited to the years 2005 to 2015. A total of fourteen studies were included in this review. The results suggested an association between search trends with the suicide-related terms and the suicide rate. In addition, young people also tend to portray their suicidal ideation through the Internet. Besides, the websites that were accessed using the suicide-related terms tended to be both pro- and anti-suicide. Therefore, it is suggested that future research should be aimed at developing websites which can provide assistance to the group at risk.

Analysis of Internet Suicide Pacts Reported by the Media in Mainland China

Background: In mainland China, frequent Internet suicide pacts in recent years have raised strong concerns from several social sectors and the influence of social networks on suicide is constantly growing. Aims: To identify the epidemiological characteristics of media-reported Internet suicide pacts in mainland China. Method: Our study comprised 62 Internet suicide pacts involving 159 victims in mainland China before June 1, 2015. Kendall's randomness test, a trend test, and a circular distribution test were applied to identify the rising or concentrated trends in the time of occurrence of Internet suicide pacts. Results: The overall male-to-female ratio was 2.3:1. Suicide victims were mainly people in their 20s to 30s (84.1%). In all, 87.1% suicide victims completed suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing, and charcoal-burning suicide accounted for 80.6% of cases. Conclusion: People who complete suicide as part of an Internet suicide pact are more likely to be males, aged 20–30 years. Charcoal-burning suicide in sealed hotels or rental housing was the commonest way of dying.