Suicide on Facebook-the tales of unnoticed departure in Bangladesh

Soron, Tanjir Rashid; Islam, Sheikh Mohammed Shariful

doi:10.1017/gmh.2020.5

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(40 reference statements)

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“…The first analyzed videos of individuals who died by suicide, in order to understand risk factors. In one study, researchers searched video footage of suicides posted on Facebook in Bangladesh to understand the circumstances that may have contributed to the suicides [ 13 ]. The authors found 19 videos, predominantly of male students.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Closed-Circuit Television and Video in Suicide Prevention: Narrative Review and Future Directions

Onie¹,

Li²,

Liang³

et al. 2021

JMIR Ment Health

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Background Suicide is a recognized public health issue, with approximately 800,000 people dying by suicide each year. Among the different technologies used in suicide research, closed-circuit television (CCTV) and video have been used for a wide array of applications, including assessing crisis behaviors at metro stations, and using computer vision to identify a suicide attempt in progress. However, there has been no review of suicide research and interventions using CCTV and video. Objective The objective of this study was to review the literature to understand how CCTV and video data have been used in understanding and preventing suicide. Furthermore, to more fully capture progress in the field, we report on an ongoing study to respond to an identified gap in the narrative review, by using a computer vision–based system to identify behaviors prior to a suicide attempt. Methods We conducted a search using the keywords “suicide,” “cctv,” and “video” on PubMed, Inspec, and Web of Science. We included any studies which used CCTV or video footage to understand or prevent suicide. If a study fell into our area of interest, we included it regardless of the quality as our goal was to understand the scope of how CCTV and video had been used rather than quantify any specific effect size, but we noted the shortcomings in their design and analyses when discussing the studies. Results The review found that CCTV and video have primarily been used in 3 ways: (1) to identify risk factors for suicide (eg, inferring depression from facial expressions), (2) understanding suicide after an attempt (eg, forensic applications), and (3) as part of an intervention (eg, using computer vision and automated systems to identify if a suicide attempt is in progress). Furthermore, work in progress demonstrates how we can identify behaviors prior to an attempt at a hotspot, an important gap identified by papers in the literature. Conclusions Thus far, CCTV and video have been used in a wide array of applications, most notably in designing automated detection systems, with the field heading toward an automated detection system for early intervention. Despite many challenges, we show promising progress in developing an automated detection system for preattempt behaviors, which may allow for early intervention.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Closed-Circuit Television and Video in Suicide Prevention: Narrative Review and Future Directions

Onie¹,

Li²,

Liang³

et al. 2021

JMIR Ment Health

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“…There are several reports of reported suicides where a suicide note was shared on Facebook beforehand [ 3 , 6 , 18 , 20 ]. In emotionally distressful situations, it may be possible to offer support and prevent a potential suicide [ 24 ]. By analysing public posts and suicide notes, social media platforms should identify users at an elevated risk and provide online support [ 3 , 6 , 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At times, loved ones are left helpless by such incidents, and some have taken legal action against the social media platform [ 44 ]. Persons who live-streamed suicidal behaviour were mainly under 35 years of age, and a majority were male students resorting to hanging and poisoning to harm themselves [ 24 ]. The victims had experienced relationship conflicts and academic stressors, as seen by their most recent posts before harm, and it is shown that stress-management interventions through Facebook are beneficial for young people [ 45 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facebook and Suicidal Behaviour: User Experiences of Suicide Notes, Live-Streaming, Grieving and Preventive Strategies—A Scoping Review

Shoib

Chandradasa

Nahidi

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Background: Facebook represents a new dimension for global information sharing. Suicidal behaviours and attempts are increasingly reported on Facebook. This scoping review explores the various aspects of suicidal behaviours associated with Facebook, discussing the challenges and preventive measures. Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched for related articles published in English up to October 2021, using different combinations of “Facebook” and “suicide”. A group of experts comprising consultant psychiatrists screened the records and read the full-text articles to extract relevant data. Twenty-eight articles were chosen as relevant and included in the review under four selected themes. Results: Facebook impacts on suicidal behaviours in different aspects. Announcing suicides through sharing notes or personal information may lead to the prediction of suicide but be harmful to the online audience. Live-streaming videos of suicide is another aspect that questions Facebook’s ability to monitor shared contents that can negatively affect the audience. A positive impact is helping bereaved families to share feelings and seek support online, commemorating the lost person by sharing their photos. Moreover, it can provide real-world details of everyday user behaviours, which help predict suicide risk, primarily through novel machine-learning techniques, and provide early warning and valuable help to prevent it. It can also provide a timeline of the user’s activities and state of mind before suicide. Conclusions: Social media can detect suicidal tendencies, support those seeking help, comfort family and friends with their grief, and provide insights via timelining the users’ activities leading to their suicide. One of the limitations was the lack of quantitative studies evaluating preventative efforts on Facebook. The creators’ commitment and the users’ social responsibility will be required to create a mentally healthy Facebook environment.

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“…More people sharing personal information openly on Facebook allows them a chance to reach out to others even without knowing them. In emotionally distressful situations, it may be possible to offer support and prevent a potential suicide [21]. Through analysing public posts and suicidal notes, social media platforms should identify users at an elevated risk and provide online support [3,4,14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At times, loved ones are left helpless by such incidents, and some have taken legal action against the social media platform [41]. Persons who live-streamed suicidal behaviour mainly were under 35-years of age, and a majority were male students resorting to hanging and poisoning to harm themselves [21]. The victims had experienced relationship conflicts and academic stressors, as seen by their most recent posts before harm, and it has been shown that stressmanagement interventions through Facebook are beneficial for young people [42].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facebook and Suicidal Behaviour: User Experiences of Suicide Notes, Live-streaming, Grieving and Preventive Strategies. A Scoping Review.

Shoib¹,

Chandradasa²,

Nahidi³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Facebook represents a new dimension for global information sharing. Suicidal behaviours and attempts are growingly reported on Facebook. This scoping review explores the various aspects of suicidal behaviours associated with Facebook, discussing the challenges and preventive measures. Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched for related articles published in English up to October 2021, using different combinations of "Facebook" and "suicide". A group of consultant psychiatrists screened the records and read the full-text articles to extract relevant data. Results: Facebook impacts suicidal behaviours in different aspects. Announcing suicides through sharing notes or personal information, which can be helpful in prediction of suicide, and harmful since negatively affects audience. Live-streaming videos of suicide is another aspect, which questions the ability of Facebook to monitor shared contents that can negatively affect the audience. Helping bereaved families to share feelings and seek support online, commemorating the lost person by sharing their photos is another positive impact. Moreover, it can provide real-world details of everyday user behaviours, which are helpful to predict suicide risk, primarily through novel machine-learning techniques, and provide early warning and valuable help to prevent it. It can also provide a timeline of the user's activities and state of mind before suicide. Conclusions: Social media can detect suicidal tendencies, provide support for those seeking help, comfort family and friends with their grief, and provide insights via timelining the users' activities leading to their suicide. The lack of quantitative studies on evaluating preventative efforts on Facebook was one of the limitations. The creators' commitment and the users' social responsibility will be required to create a mentally healthy Facebook environment.

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Suicide on Facebook-the tales of unnoticed departure in Bangladesh

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

The Use of Closed-Circuit Television and Video in Suicide Prevention: Narrative Review and Future Directions

The Use of Closed-Circuit Television and Video in Suicide Prevention: Narrative Review and Future Directions

Facebook and Suicidal Behaviour: User Experiences of Suicide Notes, Live-Streaming, Grieving and Preventive Strategies—A Scoping Review

Facebook and Suicidal Behaviour: User Experiences of Suicide Notes, Live-streaming, Grieving and Preventive Strategies. A Scoping Review.

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