A suicide pact describes the suicides of two or more individuals in an agreed-upon plan. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction. After any suicide attempt or death it is important to establish whether anyone else knew about the suicide plan in advance, in order to determine whether a suicide pact may be involved. Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Teenage suicide is the self-killing of a teenager. ... Euthanasia (from Greek: ευθανασία -ευ, eu, good, θανατος, thanatos, death) is the practice of terminating the life of a person or an animal because they are perceived as living an intolerable life, in a painless or minimally painful way either by lethal injection, drug overdose, or by the withdrawal of life support. ... A murder suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons immediately before, or while killing himself. ... A suicide attack is an attack in which the attacker or attackers intend to kill others and intend to die in the process (see suicide). ... Ritual suicide is the act of suicide motivated by a religious, spiritual, or traditional ritual. ... Cult suicide is that phenomenon by which some religious groups, in this context often referred to as cults, have led to their membership committing suicide. ... Mass suicide occurs when a number of people kill themselves together with one another or for the same reason and is usually connected to a real or perceived persecution. ... An Internet suicide is a suicide pact made between individuals who meet on the Internet. ... A copycat suicide is defined as a duplication or copycat of another suicide that the person attempting suicide knows about either from local knowledge or due to accounts or depictions of the original suicide on television and in other media. ... Forced suicide is a method of execution where the victim is given the choice of committing suicide or facing an alternative they perceive as worse, such as suffering torture; having friends or family members imprisoned, tortured or killed; or losing honor, position or means. ... Suicide-by-cop is a suicide method in which someone deliberately acts in a threatening way towards a law enforcement officer, with the main goal of provoking a lethal response (e. ... Suicide has been part of the history of the world - people of all walks of life had committed suicide over the years. ... // The following are lists of notable people who have definitely died intentionally by their own hand, regardless of the circumstances. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The following is a list of methods that have been used to commit suicide. ... Kurt Cobains alleged suicide note. ... Suicide watch is an intensive monitoring process used to ensure that an individual does not commit suicide. ... Various human cultures may have views on suicide not directly or solely linked to religious views of suicide. ... This page concerns suicide. ... Modern medical views on suicide consider suicide to be a mental health issue. ... In ethics and other branches of philosophy suicide poses a difficult question, answered differently by philosophers from different times and traditions. ... There are a variety of religious views of suicide. ... For the 1987 film, see Right to Die (film) The term right to die refers to various issues around the death of an individual when that person could continue to live with the aid of life support, or in a diminished or enfeebled capacity. ... Wikipedia contains a list of crisis hotlines by country. ... The routine assessment of suicide risk is an important clinical skill. ... Various suicide prevention strategies have been used: Promoting mental resilience through optimism and connectedness. ... List of crisis hotlines by country USA - 1-800-784-2433 (1-800-SUICIDE) National Hopeline Network USA - 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Links http://www. ... Modern medical views on suicide consider suicide to be a mental health issue. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... As an academic field, history is the study of past human activities and is generally considered a social science. ... The Three Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. ...

Suicide pacts are distinct from mass suicide. The latter involves incidents in which a (usually) large number of people kill themselves together for the same ideological reason, often within a religious, political, military, and/or paramilitary context (see Mass Suicide). Suicide pacts, on the other hand, usually involve small groups of people (such as married or romantic partners, family members, or friends) whose motivations are intensely personal and individual. To date, the largest known number of people to die in a single group suicide pact is seven. [1] Mass suicide occurs when a number of people kill themselves together with one another or for the same reason and is usually connected to a real or perceived persecution. ... Mass suicide occurs when a number of people kill themselves together with one another or for the same reason and is usually connected to a real or perceived persecution. ...

A suicide pact negotiated over the internet, often between complete strangers, is an Internet suicide. An Internet suicide is a suicide pact made between individuals who meet on the Internet. ...

New group-suicide method: Charcoal

Another focus of the media reports on group suicide pacts is a new and unique method of suicide that is being utilized in Japan (and gradually spreading elsewhere), one that is particularly popular among those committing group suicide -- carbon monoxide poisoning achieved by burning charcoal briquettes (or other fossil fuels) in BBQ grills or stoves within an enclosed area, such as a small sealed room, tent, or car. The Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reports that “group suicide through gas inhalation increased in 2003, with 3,538 people involved, up by 2,024 from 2002." [2] Many Japanese media outlets report on suicides by charcoal-produced carbon-monoxide poisoning, referring to it as a “new method of suicide." A 2001 psychiatric article [3] reports that suicides via charcoal-produced carbon-monoxide poisoning were “unheard of in Hong Kong” before the first case in that country was sensationalized by the media in 1998. The victim in that case “reportedly learned of the method from a Chinese film.” The article reports that suicide-by-charcoal cases in Hong Kong have risen dramatically and steadily since 1998, and concludes that, due to intense media coverage of such cases, a “copycat effect” is a contributing factor. In the Billy Talent video "Nothing To Lose", a teen commits suicide by piping the carbon monoxide from the exhaust into the interior. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after the inhalation of carbon monoxide gas. ... Charcoal is the blackish residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. ... Fossil fuels are hydrocarbon-containing natural resources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... This article is about the year 2001. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Song Information Nothing to Lose is a single from the Canadian punk rock band Billy Talents debut self titled album. ...

There is little doubt that recent cases of internet-related suicide-by-charcoal pacts that have occurred outside of Japan -- such as the February 2005 suicide of two young people in the UK, reported by the media as the UK’s “first online suicide pact” [4] -- have been directly influenced by media reports of similar incidents occurring in Japan. It remains to be seen whether such suicide pacts are just a “passing trend” or will increase and/or spread over time. February 2005 : ← - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → Pope John Paul II is taken to a hospital suffering from a serious case of influenza. ...

References

• “Nine die in Japan suicide pacts”, BBC News, October 12, 2004
• “Japan suicide reports”, Japan Mental Health, January 31, 2005
• “Carbon Monoxide Poisoning as a New Method of Suicide in Hong Kong” Wai Sau D. Chung et al, Journal of the American Psychiatric Association, June 2001
• “UK records first online suicide pact”, The Age, September 30, 2005