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 will not be one thing that may be “caught” in the identical approach 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 so far 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 setting and one’s personal suicidality, for each youth and adults” (Gavan et al., 2026, p. 2).
This evaluate asks: if a pal is fighting suicidal ideas and behaviours, are you extra more likely to wrestle with the identical issues?
Strategies
The authors used a complete search technique that concerned trying to find related literature throughout six databases. Peer-reviewed, observational research have been included in the event that they i) explored people uncovered to any suicidal ideas or behaviours of their social setting and ii) included a management group. Importantly, research have 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 knowledge extraction have 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 performed a three-level random-effects meta-analysis to account for dependency amongst a number of impact sizes reported inside the similar research. The authors additionally explored three major moderators; 1) which suicidal ideas and behaviours people have been uncovered to, 2) which suicidality outcomes they reported and three) relational proximity.
Outcomes
After screening, 65 publications from 59 unbiased samples have been included within the evaluate, reporting on 153 impact sizes from a complete of 1,055,483 individuals. Research have been primarily performed within the US and the UK and have been largely cross-sectional. Solely 7 research have been rated nearly as good high quality; 21 have been rated as poor and 27 as truthful high quality.
Foremost findings have 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 pals was related to the most important improve in threat (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 threat when people have been uncovered to suicidal ideas and behaviours in acquaintances.
- The power of the affiliation didn’t considerably differ primarily based 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 threat of suicidal ideas, plans, makes an attempt, self-harm and ‘suicidality’, however was not related to the next threat 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 have been strongest in adolescents, adopted by adults then younger adults.
These uncovered to suicidal ideas and behaviours of their pals have been greater than twice as more likely to expertise suicidal ideas and behaviours themselves.
Conclusions
This research discovered a big, and sturdy, 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 members of the family… but additionally amongst shut pals and friends.
Gavan et al., 2026, (p. 7)
This meta-analysis concludes that suicidality is transmissible between shut pals and friends, significantly in adolescents.
Strengths and limitations
It is a well-conducted systematic evaluate and meta-analysis that clearly adheres to PRISMA pointers (Moher et al., 2010). It solutions a invaluable query by synthesising an vital and valued physique of labor. It might have been good to see some lived expertise involvement all through the research – generally I concern that epidemiological or affiliation sort analysis in suicide prevention analysis dangers undermining or downplaying the extraordinarily troublesome actuality of getting lived expertise of suicidality, both private or by way of bereavement.
I’m curious concerning the authors’ resolution to focus solely on friends and pals. While I recognize the argument about not with the ability to separate social contagion from hereditary components in familial relationships, this looks as if extra cause to synthesise and examine these questions, fairly than to exclude this literature altogether. Admittedly, this could possible be an entire different research in itself, however nonetheless, I hope any person synthesises this deserving literature. Past this, it appears myopic to counsel that pals and friends are the one relationships that exist exterior of familial relationships. What concerning 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 vital 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 moreover suicidal ideas and behaviours. I do know this research is about contagion particularly, however talking from expertise of supporting a companion by way of 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 threat issue for suicidal ideas and behaviours?
Lastly, as is sort of all the time the case in systematic opinions, the standard of this evaluate 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 consequently. Certainly, what’s actuality?….
Although well-conducted, this evaluate may benefit from an injection of lived expertise to stability these stark numbers with some humanity.
Implications for follow
So, we all know that publicity to suicide elevates threat – however so what? If the takeaway is that lowering suicide will in flip scale back publicity and downstream threat, this feels considerably round. Stopping suicide is already the purpose, no matter this mechanism.
For me, I feel the medical implications are possible extra to do with the way in which through which we restrict or reply to publicity. In some settings there are methods that this may be managed – as an illustration there’s work beneath approach that goals to help younger folks at college bereaved by suicide, with the exact goal 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 consequences of the publicity? How will we break the cycle then?
I’m aware of the cautions raised by the authors, significantly their suggestion that confiding in pals about suicidal ideas could, in some circumstances, improve suicide threat. Nonetheless, I’m hesitant to endorse suggestions that would discourage people from in search of 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 in opposition to 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 steerage – past social media and past younger folks – on easy methods to discuss suicide in ways in which help people whereas minimising potential hurt to others.
If suicide is contagious, then how will we restrict the antagonistic results of suicide publicity? Steerage on easy methods to talk about suicide safely appears warranted.
Assertion of pursuits
Laura Hemming has no conflicts of curiosity to reveal. AI was used for modifying functions and to generate a title for this weblog.
Hyperlinks
Main 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 evaluate 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 conduct. 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 threat for suicidal conduct? A scientific evaluate 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 well-liked 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 components for melancholy and suicide threat 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 faculties: What proof helps our present nationwide suggestions?. College social work journal, 46(2), 23-69.
