Cybersuicide: The Internet and Suicide

Mr. A, a 16-year-old African American adolescent, appeared at the emergency room after attempting suicide. He has no psychiatric history but had borderline mental retardation (IQ=80). He had ingested castor oil beans (from the plant Ricinus communis). After ingesting two beans, he confessed to his mother, who brought him to the emergency room. His suicidal ideas followed a worsening of his academic performance, which also led to his being subjected to ridicule by his peers. Mr. A’s education involved using the computer, and he had regular access to the Internet. He got the idea for suicide from Web sites, although he refused to disclose them. He subsequently made an uneventful recovery.

Ms. B, a 34-year-old woman with borderline personality disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, had a history of several suicide attempts by wrist laceration and overdosing resulting in multiple hospitalizations. On this occasion, she attempted suicide by drinking several liters of water. She got the idea from the Internet, as a less painful and more convenient method of committing suicide. Ms. B did not divulge the Web site address but acknowledged that information about suicide is readily available on the Internet. She was hospitalized for observation and recovered without complications.