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I Can’t Believe You’re Dead: The Werther Effect
Kim Hyeong-jin Reporter, Senior of Economics
This year, many celebrities passed away by accident or suicide. The press reported their deaths and the public mourned. When a celebrity dies, some people can’t believe their favorite celebrity is gone and they may visit the grave out of grief. Some fans even commit suicide, because they equate their life with the deceased celebrity’s life. This phenomenon is known as the Werther effect.
The Werther effect is a copycat suicide seen when celebrities die under various circumstances. This effect increases when a celebrity suicides, especially if a person can identify with the celebrity’s life more than their own dark life. The origin of the Werther effect began with the novel “Die Leiden des jungen Werthers”, written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. After the novel was published, many young readers suicided like the character Werther, who shot himself for failure with Rotte. This effect is also referred to as “suicide contagion.”
American suicide researcher, David Philips, first used the phrase “the Werther effect” to explain the pattern of increasing suicides after a celebrity’s death. The Werther effect contains three parts. First, after a celebrity suicide, people learn of the news when it is broadcast by many news stations and in papers. Then, fans are in deep sorrow from the fact, because if they identify with the celebrity the death amplifies their melancholy. As they identify more and more with the celebrity’s life, feeling, environment, etc., they commit suicide because they want to become like the celebrity.
The cause of the Werther effect is not learning the news of a celebrity death or suicide, but rather it is because the person has melancholy or depression to begin with. The Werther effect suicides are inherent in melancholia or depression in the mind. Their mind feels like committing suicide because the sad news amplifies their melancholy. Therefore, the news is only responsible for the Werther suicide because it can spark an effect.
To reduce suicide rates, the media has to broadcast anti-suicide campaigns. Anti-suicide campaigns have been shown to decrease suicide rates by 15 percent statistically when they are consistently broadcast. For example, the Werther effect does not happen in areas that are served by MTV because they consistently tell the audience, “Don’t commit suicide” during the news of a celebrity death. Specifically, in 1994, after the suicide of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, MTV focused on anti-suicide messaging to support fans and prevent copycat suicides.
The melancholiac patients have to improve their mind. They must have composure regardless of what the news says. Psychologists advise that those who are affected by depression be counseled by mental health experts. They say patients should try counseling to improve their mind positively. If they do not get counseling, they may push themselves toward death.
Jang Guk-young
Jang Guk-young was one of the most famous actors in Hong Kong movies. In April 2003, he suicided by jumping off the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Many press reported that he was in the doldrums and was stressed by the attention that surrounded him. Nine hours after he commited suicide, six women suicided by jumping because of his death.
Choi Jin-sil
Choi Jin-sil lived a successful life as an actress. However, she suffered from a scandal regarding her divorce from Jo Sung-min. After struggling with the rumors, she committed suicide by hanging herself. After her suicide, her brother Choi Jin-young and her ex-husband Jo Sung-min also killed themselves. This is an example of how somebody’s death affects their acquaintances, like family or friends. In other words, the Werther effect is correlated with closeness.
After her death, the press reported the suicide incidence increased. According to the statistics, the overall incidences of suicide doubly increased and the rate of death by hanging tripled. This example shows how copycat suicides can be seen to follow the celebrity’s suicide method.
Recently, many celebrities have passed away from suicide. Although mourning the dead and comforting people who were related to the death is understandable, it is unjust to follow the death with your own. If you suffer from depression or melancholia, you must not push your life toward the dark, but must change your life positively.