They cost lives and are a public health menace.
In January 2003, Suzanne Gonzales wrote to an online messaging group: “I cry for no reason, and I can't help but feel that I'm bothering others with my whining. I'm sorry to everyone. It would just be best if I would go away.”
She had been suffering from depression and, in the following months, she often went to this website to talk about suicide. It was a place where suicide was normal, or even encouraged. Anonymous users told her it was okay to kill herself, lending her detailed advice on how to do it.
