title: Media effects on suicide methods: A case study on Hong Kong 1998-2005.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have suggested that mass media's reports of new suicide methods will increase suicides using the same method. The same pattern seems not to apply to a conventional suicide method, unless it was used by a celebrity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  1) to examine media effects on both new and non-new suicide methods during 1998 and 2005 in Hong Kong (HK), when a new method by burning charcoal (CB suicide) was spreading in the region. 2) to examine how CB competed with non-CB methods in terms of media coverage and "recruiting" suicidal persons in the socio-economic context.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self- and mutual- exciting process model was fitted to the data, adjusting for divorce rate, unemployment rate, and property price index. Breaking the whole period into onset, peak, and post-peak stages, the model was fitted again to examine the differences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparable copycat effects were found on both CB and non-CB suicide news. The only cross-method media effects were found in the onset stage when non-CB suicide news showed suppressing effect on CB suicides. CB suicides reported a significant self-excitation effect. A higher divorce rate and lower property price index were associated with significantly more suicides incidences and more suicide news.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The emerging of CB suicide method did not substitute media coverage of non-CB suicide in HK. Media effects in this case were not limited to new suicide method or celebrity suicide. The effects were further fueled by adverse socio-economic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Qijin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.|Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Paul S F
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Yip
mesh_terms: D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000401:mortality*; D002606:Charcoal; D004243:Divorce; D004467:Economics; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D002606:Charcoal