Officials Warn of ‘Clusters’ in Suicide Cases

Federal health officials said Thursday that communities should take steps to head off “suicide clusters,” especially among teen-agers and young adults, two groups that seem to be at high risk from violent death.

“Recent suicide clusters among teen-agers and young adults have received national attention, and public concern about the issue is growing,” a report prepared by the national Centers for Disease Control said.

“Unfortunately, our understanding of the causes and means of preventing suicide clusters is far from complete. A suicide cluster may be defined as a group of suicides or suicide attempts, or both, that occur closer together in time and space than would normally be expected in a given community.”

Adolescents, Young Adults

The CDC report said a statistical analysis of national mortality data indicates clusters of completed suicides occur predominantly among adolescents and young adults, and that such clusters account for between 1% and 5% of all suicides in this age group.

“Suicide clusters are thought by many to occur through a process of ‘contagion,’ but this hypothesis has not yet been formally tested,” the report said. “Nevertheless, a great deal of anecdotal evidence suggests that, in any given suicide cluster, suicides occurring later in the cluster often appear to have been influenced by suicides occurring earlier in the cluster.”

The CDC said it has assisted several states and local health departments in investigating and responding to apparent clusters of suicide and suicide attempts.

The report offers broad guidelines for community and health leaders to follow when dealing with suicide clusters. It said leaders should review the guidelines and then develop their own response, based on the characteristics and needs of the particular community, before the onset of a suicide cluster.

Among the guidelines for meeting the threat of suicide clusters, the CDC suggested:

--People who may be at high risk of suicide should be identified and have at least one screening interview with a trained counselor; these people should be referred for further counseling or other services as needed.

--A timely flow of accurate, appropriate information should be provided to the media.

--Elements in the environment that might increase the likelihood of further suicides or suicide attempts should be identified and changed.