Internet and Psychiatry

Randy A. Sansone(1), Lori A. Sansone(2)
(1)Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio; Kettering Medical Center, Kettering, Ohio; 2Primary Care Clinic, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, USA
Internet and Suicide. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009, 452 pages.

Borderline personality is an Axis II disorder that is characterized by chronic self-harm behavior, which collectively includes self-mutilation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide. In this chapter, we address the question, “Are these individuals genuinely susceptible to internet material related to suicide?” Current evidence suggests a moderate degree of susceptibility. The following data and clinical observations support this impression: (1) individuals with borderline personality are, by definition, self-harming, so such risks are ever-present; (2) a variety of factors are empirically associated with the risk of suicide in individuals with borderline personality, and these include psychological as well as environmental factors; (3) suicide attempts in relationship to internet material has already been documented, including the case of a patient with borderline personality; (4) a relationship between borderline psychopathology and internet susceptibility seems probable given the propensity of these individuals to exhibit “emotional hyper-responsiveness” to external stimuli, particularly negative stimuli; and (5) based upon clinical observation, patients with borderline personality are prone to contagion phenomena, particularly with regard to self-harm behavior. In this chapter, we will review these various data and clinical observations, and conclude that there is a moderate risk of susceptibility.