Celebrity Suicides Are Contagious, New Study Finds — Experts Stress the Need for Prevention

New research shows that celebrity suicides can be contagious, increasing the need for prevention and mental health care. Suicide contagion refers to instances where one suicide or suicidal act increases the likelihood that others will attempt or die by suicide.

The study — published July 31 in Science Advances — analyzed total weekly calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and federal data on suicide deaths both before and after the deaths of Robin Williams, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.

Researchers from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health found that Williams’ 2014 death caused a thousand-fold increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts. Additionally, the 2018 deaths of Spade and Bourdain — which occurred three days apart — also resulted in a spike in calls to crisis lines, roughly half of that following Williams’ death.

“The model we developed shows how suicide contagion, including both suicidal ideation and deaths, spreads quickly following the suicide deaths of celebrities whose lives and work are known and likely meaningful to large portions of the population,” Jeffrey Shaman, co-author of the study and professor of environmental health sciences, said in a release.

"When suicide is depicted in popular literature or celebrities die by suicide or attempt suicide, it somehow normalizes it for people who identify with those individuals," he added. "We want to better understand rates of suicide contagion, how it varies among populations and following both local and national suicide events.”

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Researchers note that there is no single factor that causes suicide or suicidal ideation. The study states that the increased rates of suicide contagion lasted about two weeks before returning to baseline levels.

Suicide rates in the United States increased 37% between 2000 and 2018, decreased 5% between 2018 and 2020, and then returned to their peak in 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Ultimately, our aim is to work toward a point where a suicide contagion model can inform a rapid response geared at preventing suicide,” Katherine Keyes, study co-author and professor of epidemiology, said in the same statement issued by Shaman via Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

Following the deaths of Spade and Bourdain, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention released a statement on the unfortunate trend, offering steps to help prevent suicide and stressing the importance of effective mental health care.

“With recent high-profile deaths by suicide, this is a time to stand together and resolve to do more,” said chief medical officer Dr. Christine Moutier. “Suicide affects all of us – we all face challenges and have mental health to manage. We are working diligently to prevent suicide. The need for more research and a greater national investment in suicide prevention is clearer than ever.” 

“With all of us working together and by collectively making a massive investment in suicide prevention research, resources and quality mental health care we can and we will reverse the rising suicide rate,” she noted at the time.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.