The Google Trends Suicide Watch

Count_Dante

It would appear some people are going a bit wrong these days:

Jeremy Wagstaff has done a fascinating (if morbid) little analysis using Google Trends to track the popularity of the search phrase "commit suicide painlessly." Perhaps not too surprisingly, it appears to track the economy. That is, it was relatively flat for a while, but spiked in October 2008 through March 2009 -- though, it's since come back down. As he notes, this isn't exactly a small blip -- it was over an extended period of time. He digs down a bit in the data, which suggests that while the US is a lot less suicidal these days, things are still a bit on edge over in the UK (you guys doing ok?).

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090710/0243185509.shtml

Like the author of the report, it would be interesting to find out how this corresponds with the actual suicide rate.

damanpunk

Clearly these people are all BTL landlords and home owners in negative equity! Fools! They should've rented!

(Or at least I think thats how the replies would usually go)

Listening to half the guff thats spouted on here could easily make you suicidal.

In all seriousness though I can't see it corresponding with actual suicides, probably just Emo kids looking for something to brag about.