Case Report
Copycat suicidal attempt by a 7 year old boy after watching homicidal behavior in media: a case report
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Correspondence: Ahmad Ghanizadeh ghanizad@sina.tums.ac.ir
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Hafez Hospital, Shiraz, Iran
Cases Journal 2009, 2:43 doi:10.1186/1757-1626-2-43
Published: 12 January 2009Abstract
Introduction
Suicidal behavior in media may promote others towards suicide. No published study was found about suicidal attempt in children less than 10 years old after watching a homicidal behavior.
Case presentation
This is a report of a 7 year old boy referred because he hanged himself after watching homicidal behavior of hanging in a fictional movie.
Discussion
To the author's knowledge, there was no published report of copycat suicidal attempt in a 7 year old child after watching a homicidal behavior in media. This report warns about an imitative effect of movie watching of homicidal behavior on suicidal attempt.