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Comparison of Suicidal People Who Use the Internet for Suicide-Related Reasons and Those Who Do Not
Thomas Niederkrotenthaler1, Anna Haider1, Benedikt Till1
11 Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Institute of Social Medicine, Suicide Research Unit, Vienna, Austria.
Background:
Studies have shown that suicidal individuals who use the Internet for suicide-related purposes are more suicidal than nonsuicide-related users, but evidence from European countries is lacking.
Aims:
We assessed differences between suicidal individuals who go online for suicide-related purposes and other suicidal individuals in Austria.
Method:
Participants were 53 individuals aged between 18 and 24 years who felt suicidal in the past year and completed an anonymous online survey.
Results:
Individuals who went online for suicide-related purposes were more suicidal, and more depressed, compared with individuals who did not use the Internet for suicide-related purposes. There were no large differences with regard to social anxiety and perceived barriers for help-seeking between the two groups.
Conclusion:
This study finds that suicidal online users are more depressed and suicidal than nonusers in a sample from Central Europe. Online interventions to combat depression and suicidality need to be strengthened to reach out to this important target population.