General Article Why young people feel safer talking about suicide online than in real life

Topic Selected: Self-harm and Suicide Book Volume: 400

Why young people feel safer talking about suicide online than in real life

Being dismissed in real life is a key reason that people turn to online spaces for support. Motortion Films/Shutterstock

Maria Michail, University of Birmingham and Anna Lavis, University of Birmingham

After Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, much-needed conversations about mental health and specifically suicide opened up in society. Viewers heard Meghan talk candidly about a very difficult time in her life, describing how gradually, a claustrophobic sense of being trapped with no way out had left her feeling like she didn’t want to be alive anymore.

Although Meghan’s openness was praised by many mental health charities and experts across the world, her account was questioned and even mocked in some news outlets.

Seeking support

Our research at the University of Birmingham shows that invalidating people’s experiences of suicidality (another term for suicidal ideation and suicide ...

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