Net suicide

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world with 32,325 people killing themselves there in 2004. Recently a new phenomenon called net suicide has developed in which suicide pacts are pre-arranged between strangers who meet over the Internet. It is thought that as many as 60 people a year die in this way. In February 2005 the death of two strangers in London was thought to be Britain's first Internet suicide leading to concerns that it could take root here. An article in the journal Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry examines net suicide and, in particular, considers its implications for child and adolescent mental health.

Naito, Ayumi - Internet suicide in Japan : implications for child and adolescent mental health Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry October 2007, 12(4), 583-597