Social Media and Suicide: A Review of Technology-Based Epidemiology and Risk Assessment

Ali Pourmand · Jeffrey L. Roberson · Amy Caggiula · Natalia Monsalve · Murwarit Rahimi · Vanessa Torres-Llenza

70 citations0/0 files storedTelemedicine Journal and e-Health

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Suicide and Self-Harm Studies Social Media in Health Education Mental Health via Writing

Abstract

Introduction: Suicide is a significant public health problem among teenagers and young adults in the United States, placing significant stress on emergency departments (EDs) to effectively screen and assess for the presence of suicidality in a rapid yet efficient manner. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed and MEDLINE with the following terms: “Social media,” “Suicide,” “Facebook ® ,” “Twitter ® ,” “MySpace ® ,” “Snapchat ® ,” “Ethics,” “Digital Media,” and “Forums and Blog.” Data were extracted from each article, specifically the sample size, study setting, and design. Only English-language studies were included. We reviewed the reference lists of included articles for additional studies, as well. Abstracts, unpublished data, and duplicate articles were excluded. Results: A total of 363 articles met our initial criteria. Studies older than 10 years and/or in a language other than English were removed. After review, a total of 31 peer-reviewed articles were included in the study. Teenagers and young adults often fail to disclose risk factors to physicians, despite sharing them with the public on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, physician access to a patient's social media can assist in identifying suicidal ideation and/or acts. Conclusions: Viewing a patient's social media accounts can help ED physicians gain perspective into his or her mental health status and identify those at risk for suicide; however, ethical and privacy concerns associated with this method of data gathering make implementation of such a practice controversial. To justify its use, formal prospective studies analyzing if and how physician access to a patient's social media influences care should be performed .

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2008Suicidal desire and the capability for suicide: Tests of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior among adults.1974The Influence of Suggestion on Suicide: Substantive and Theoretical Implications of the Werther Effect 2017Social Media Use and Mental Health among Young Adults 2012Social Media and Suicide: A Public Health Perspective 2017A systematic review of the relationship between internet use, self-harm and suicidal behaviour in young people: The good, the bad and the unknown 2013The Power of the Web: A Systematic Review of Studies of the Influence of the Internet on Self-Harm and Suicide in Young People 2013Tracking Suicide Risk Factors Through Twitter in the US 2017Social Media Use and Access to Digital Technology in US Young Adults in 2016

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