In Lee et al.'s study, 10 which examined quantitative and qualitative aspects of media reports after celebrity suicides, all subgroups except for young males (≤29) were found to be influenced by actress C.J.'s suicide in 2008. Notably, certain studies have investigated the copycat effect in South Korea by exploring characteristics of vulnerable subgroups. Previous studies demonstrated a copycat effect by analyzing suicide data after one or two celebrity suicides, examining suicide attempts in emergency departments and demonstrating the correlation of media coverage with overall changes of suicide number. There have been several studies that have investigated the copycat effect of celebrity suicides in South Korea. Celebrity suicide is known to affect mostly females, 2 and although the main suicidal group in South Korea is elderly males, 4 the copycat effect is presumed to be an important factor in the female population. 7 It is thought that these were followed by many copycat suicides, and that this phenomenon contributed to the increasing suicide rate. 6 During this time, numerous celebrity suicides, notably entertainment celebrity suicides, occurred in quick succession. 4 The suicide rate increased from 11.8 (per 100,000 people) in 1995 to 28.9 in 2012, with suicide rising from the ninth leading cause of death to the fourth leading cause of death, 5 and the highest among OECD countries. There has been a radical increase in the suicide rate in South Korea since 1997 when the economic crisis occurred. Among the various types of celebrities, entertainment celebrities especially were found to generate a more significant copycat effect. 2 Celebrity suicides are known to induce more of a copycat effect than suicides of the general population, as they might cause a greater impulse to imitate. 1 This phenomenon is known as imitation, and is specifically referred to as 'copycat suicide'. Media reports of suicide induce suicide clusters in populations that come into contact with the report.

Celebrities that committed suicide