Suicide Risk Can Increase in Online Groups -- Here's What to Watch For

Teen suicide clusters are a scary phenomenon where one teen commits suicide, then other teens in the community commit "copycat suicides."

Researchers found a dangerous cocktail of circumstances in an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood that has survived four suicide clusters throughout the past 15 years.

Suicide clusters result from social learning. A recent study attempted to begin the path toward learning more about suicide clusters and how to keep them from happening. Students were experiencing intense pressure to succeed and were given a very narrow view of what it meant to be successful.

"Perhaps one of the most interesting findings of this study is that it highlights the downside to social connectedness, something that is usually touted as a key tool for suicide prevention," assistant professor in Comparative Human Development at University of Chicago Anna S. Mueller said in a press release. 

"It also helps explain why some schools with intense academic pressure have problems with suicide while others do not. It's not just the pressure: It's the pressure combined with certain community factors that can make asking for help harder to do."

Mueller worked with Seth Abrutyn, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis on the study, which was published in the journal American Sociological Review. The researchers concluded that social interconnectedness in the town made teens more vulnerable to suicide.

Students become crippled by the fear of failure but refuse - often along with their parents - to seek mental health services.

Social networks allowed information to spread rapidly and gave a very visible platform for attitudes and beliefs. Students would experience intense negative emotional reactions without sufficient coping and prevention methods in place.

Further studies of suicide and suicide clusters are needed to understand more about the behavior and put effective prevention methods in place. Talk to your teens about the necessity of failure and resilience in leading a successful life.