A standard query that has puzzled researchers for a few years is whether or not suicide is “contagious”. At face worth, this could seem to be a wierd concept – suicidality is just not one thing that may be “caught” in the identical means as a bodily sickness. Nonetheless, on this context, researchers are referring to “social contagion”, the place publicity to others’ suicidal ideas and behaviours could affect one’s personal.
Earlier analysis (Maple et al., 2017) has confirmed such a relationship exists, significantly in younger folks (Insel et al., 2008), nevertheless up to now there was no quantitative synthesis of this relationship. This meta-analysis due to this fact aimed to analyze “the hyperlinks between publicity to suicidal ideas and behaviours in a single’s nonfamilial social atmosphere and one’s personal suicidality, for each youth and adults” (Gavan et al., 2026, p. 2).
This overview asks: if a buddy is battling suicidal ideas and behaviours, are you extra more likely to battle with the identical issues?
Strategies
The authors used a complete search technique that concerned looking for related literature throughout six databases. Peer-reviewed, observational research had been included in the event that they i) explored people uncovered to any suicidal ideas or behaviours of their social atmosphere and ii) included a management group. Importantly, research had been excluded in the event that they included solely; i) familial publicity to suicide ii) media publicity to suicide or iii) self-harm outcomes.
All levels of screening and information extraction had been accomplished independently by two authors. Threat of bias was additionally independently assessed utilizing the Nationwide Institutes of Well being high quality evaluation instruments for case-control, and cohort and cross-sectional research.
The authors carried out a three-level random-effects meta-analysis to account for dependency amongst a number of impact sizes reported throughout the identical research. The authors additionally explored three major moderators; 1) which suicidal ideas and behaviours people had been uncovered to, 2) which suicidality outcomes they reported and three) relational proximity.
Outcomes
After screening, 65 publications from 59 impartial samples had been included within the overview, reporting on 153 impact sizes from a complete of 1,055,483 individuals. Research had been primarily carried out within the US and the UK and had been principally cross-sectional. Solely 7 research had been rated pretty much as good high quality; 21 had been rated as poor and 27 as truthful high quality.
Important findings had been as follows:
- Publicity to suicidal ideas and behaviours was related to a 2.77 fold improve in a single’s odds of experiencing suicidality.
- Relational proximity was a transparent moderator of this relationship – publicity amongst buddies was related to the most important improve in danger (OR 3.22, 95% CI 2.73 to three.79, p < .0001), adopted by friends (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.49 to three.29, p = .0008). Nonetheless, there was no vital improve in suicide danger when people had been uncovered to suicidal ideas and behaviours in acquaintances.
- The energy of the affiliation didn’t considerably differ based mostly on whether or not the person was uncovered to loss of life by suicide, suicide try, suicidal ideas, ‘suicidality’ or self-harm.
- Publicity to suicidal ideas or behaviours was related to elevated danger of suicidal ideas, plans, makes an attempt, self-harm and ‘suicidality’, however was not related to a better danger of loss of life by suicide.
- Research rated as ‘truthful’ or ‘poor’ in high quality produced equally elevated odds to research rated ‘good’ high quality.
- Associations had been strongest in adolescents, adopted by adults then younger adults.
These uncovered to suicidal ideas and behaviours of their buddies had been greater than twice as more likely to expertise suicidal ideas and behaviours themselves.
Conclusions
This research discovered a big, and strong, relationship between publicity to suicidal ideas and behaviours amongst friends, and one’s personal suicidal ideas and behavior. The authors conclude that:
suicidality is transmissible, not solely amongst relations… but additionally amongst shut buddies and friends.
Gavan et al., 2026, (p. 7)
This meta-analysis concludes that suicidality is transmissible between shut buddies and friends, significantly in adolescents.
Strengths and limitations
This can be a well-conducted systematic overview and meta-analysis that clearly adheres to PRISMA pointers (Moher et al., 2010). It solutions a worthwhile query by synthesising an essential and valued physique of labor. It might have been good to see some lived expertise involvement all through the research – generally I worry that epidemiological or affiliation kind analysis in suicide prevention analysis dangers undermining or downplaying the extraordinarily tough actuality of getting lived expertise of suicidality, both private or via bereavement.
I’m curious in regards to the authors’ choice to focus solely on friends and buddies. While I admire the argument about not with the ability to separate social contagion from hereditary elements in familial relationships, this looks like extra cause to synthesise and examine these questions, fairly than to exclude this literature altogether. Admittedly, this might doubtless be a complete different research in itself, however nonetheless, I hope any person synthesises this deserving literature. Past this, it appears myopic to recommend that buddies and friends are the one relationships that exist outdoors of familial relationships. What in regards to the affect of publicity to suicidal ideas and behaviours in a romantic companion? Or in a piece colleague? Given this research’s findings on proximal relationship being a key moderator of the connection, I’d think about there are essential findings available right here, significantly within the context of romantic relationships.
I’m additionally interested in what the analysis reveals about publicity to suicidal ideas and behaviours and outcomes in addition to suicidal ideas and behaviours. I do know this research is about contagion particularly, however talking from expertise of supporting a companion via suicide, I can testify that though I’ll not have ‘caught’ suicidality myself, I certain as hell skilled different impacts to my psychological well being. This, in itself, is definitely additionally a danger issue for suicidal ideas and behaviours?
Lastly, as is nearly at all times the case in systematic opinions, the standard of this overview is hindered by the standard of the analysis itself being synthesised. It’s disappointing to see such a poor high quality of analysis on this space, and I can’t assist however ponder whether we will even take something significant from these findings because of this. Certainly, what’s actuality?….
Although well-conducted, this overview may benefit from an injection of lived expertise to stability these stark numbers with some humanity.
Implications for apply
So, we all know that publicity to suicide elevates danger – however so what? If the takeaway is that decreasing suicide will in flip scale back publicity and downstream danger, this feels considerably round. Stopping suicide is already the objective, no matter this mechanism.
For me, I feel the medical implications are doubtless extra to do with the way in which during which we restrict or reply to publicity. In some settings there are methods that this may be managed – as an example there’s work below means that goals to help younger folks in school bereaved by suicide, with the exact purpose of stopping suicide clusters or contagion (Williams, Wexler & Mueller, 2024). However what about in adults, the place it’s more durable to restrict the publicity or ameliorate the results of the publicity? How can we break the cycle then?
I’m conscious of the cautions raised by the authors, significantly their suggestion that confiding in buddies about suicidal ideas could, in some circumstances, improve suicide danger. Nonetheless, I’m hesitant to endorse suggestions that might discourage people from searching for help from friends, provided that friendships are a well-established supply of help for these experiencing psychological well being difficulties, and certainly are sometimes cited as a protecting issue towards suicidality (Pastor et al., 2025).
This brings to thoughts the #chatsafe pointers (Catchpole, 2020; Robinson et al., 2023), which emphasise protected communication about suicide amongst younger folks on-line. Extending this precept, there could also be worth in growing broader steering – past social media and past younger folks – on the right way to discuss suicide in ways in which help people whereas minimising potential hurt to others.
If suicide is contagious, then how can we restrict the antagonistic results of suicide publicity? Steerage on the right way to focus on suicide safely appears warranted.
Assertion of pursuits
Laura Hemming has no conflicts of curiosity to reveal. AI was used for enhancing functions and to generate a title for this weblog.
Hyperlinks
Major paper
Gavan, L., van der Spek, N., Bergers, N., Breedvelt, J. J., Hellegers, F., Bosmans, G., & Bockting, C. (2026). Is suicidality contagious? The social transmission of suicidal ideas and behaviors: A scientific overview and meta-analysis. Complete Psychiatry, 152691.
Different references
Catchpole Z. #chatsafe: serving to younger folks talk safely on-line about suicide. The Psychological Elf, 6 Could 2020.
Insel, B. J., & Gould, M. S. (2008). Impression of modeling on adolescent suicidal habits. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 31(2), 293-316.
Maple, M., Cerel, J., Sanford, R., Pearce, T., & Jordan, J. (2017). Is publicity to suicide past kin related to danger for suicidal habits? A scientific overview of the proof. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Habits, 47(4), 461-474.
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & Prisma Group. (2010). Most popular reporting objects for systematic opinions and meta-analyses: the PRISMA assertion. Worldwide journal of surgical procedure, 8(5), 336-341.
Pastor, Y., Pérez-Torres, V., Angulo-Brunet, A., Nebot-Garcia, J. E., & Gallardo-Nieto, E. (2025). College, household, and peer connectedness as protecting elements for despair and suicide danger in Spanish adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1547759.
Robinson, J., Thorn, P., McKay, S., Hemming, L., Battersby-Coulter, R., Cooper, C., … & La Sala, L. (2023). # chatsafe 2.0. up to date pointers to help younger folks to speak safely on-line about self-harm and suicide: A Delphi knowledgeable consensus research. PLoS One, 18(8), e0289494.
Williams, D. Y., Wexler, L., & Mueller, A. S. (2022). Suicide postvention in colleges: What proof helps our present nationwide suggestions?. College social work journal, 46(2), 23-69.
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