The Werther Effect is real and dates back to the publication and dissemination of Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther in 1774. In the book, young Werther takes his own life because he loves a married woman. This triggered the phenomenon known as the Werther Effect, or “copycat suicide.” A copycat suicide is an imitation of another suicide that has garnered attention, for instance, through media coverage. Such a phenomenon can arise from exposure to media stories in which identifiable individuals take their own lives. The term “Werther Effect” was first coined in the 1970s by sociologist David Phillips. It was noticed that when a suicide gains media attention, the rate of people taking their own lives increases.

In the novel, the story follows a love triangle that ends in tragedy. Werther falls in love with Charlotte, but she ends up marrying another man called Albert. Werther realizes that his love will forever be unrequited and one-sided, so he ends his life. The book was a phenomenal event when it was first published, and people saw themselves in the young man’s shoes. This story of love and pain spoke directly to readers and had a great impact. Some men even started dressing like Werther with brown boots, a yellow waistcoat, and a blue tailcoat. Young men across Europe found a deep resonance with his pain and alienation and were inspired and emboldened by this fictitious character to take their own lives. The problem became so severe that the book was banned in several places shortly after its release. For instance, it was banned in both Italy and Denmark in an attempt to prevent the spread of the so-called suicide contagion.

A similar phenomenon can be observed today. The infamous television series 13 Reasons Why sparked conversation and debate about its portrayal of suicide. Many viewers were reportedly influenced by the series, raising concerns about its potential to contribute to the spread of suicide. These concerns were particularly significant in Canada, where there were calls for the series to be banned due to fears that its portrayal of suicide could negatively influence viewers.

On the other hand, the term “Papageno Effect” emerged as a counterpart to the Werther Effect and was coined to describe the protective effect of presenting positive examples of how individuals can cope with suicidal crises without resorting to suicide. Both effects have been widely studied across a variety of contexts.