Celebrity suicides spark uptick in crisis line calls in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — Crisis counselors in Utah say the recent deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain are triggering a lot of calls to suicide hotlines.  However, they say they’re glad more people are reaching out for help.

The University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute has contracted with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline to handle the calls that come to the crisis line from Utah.  On Friday, crisis counselors saw a big uptick in calls after the news of Anthony Bourdain’s death.

Crisis Services Manager Barry Rose says, “Our numbers increased 60 percent on our lifeline calls.”

Rose says this is typical after a high-profile celebrity suicide.  They call it the “contagion effect,” and it happens when a fan has a hard time dealing with the death.

“You feel a personal connection with a celebrity.  Robin Williams was a big example. We had to bring in extra staff after he committed suicide because we had such an increase in calls,” Rose says.

However, the increased calls could be a positive sign.  Rose says many of the articles are showing people going through suicidal thoughts how they can reach out for help.

“There is a lot more publishing of the lifeline number,” Rose says, adding, “Not many of the calls are directly related to the celebrities.  It’s more people talking about their personal issues.  So, I think the bulk of it is because of increased awareness.”