Pesticide poisoning is the most frequently used method of suicide amongst the more than 800,000 people who take their lives each year around the world, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.
Although methods of suicide vary significantly from region to region, pesticide poisoning is the most common in rural regions where the chemicals are readily available, according to TIME.
"Restricting access to the means of suicide is effective in preventing suicide - particularly impulsive suicide - as it gives those contemplating suicide more time to reconsider," the report stated.
The report raises suicide awareness and attempts to "fight the stigma that surrounds mental health issues and to take action on the issue."
"Every suicide is a tragedy. The impact on families, friends and communities is devastating and far-reaching, even long after persons dear to them have taken their own lives," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan in the report.
Suicide awareness has been seen even more in headlines after the tragic death of Robin Williams.
However, a new study suggests that there can be a dangerous consequence to the reports if a celebrity's death was the result of suicide, according to The Huffington Post.
Last month, South Korea mourned the suicide of one of their entertainers, Choi Jin-sil. Researchers from Chung-Ang University reportedly investigated the nature of celebrity suicide media coverage and found that the number of suicide-related articles increased 80 times the normal amount in the week following the actress' death.
Researchers also reportedly discovered that 37% of those news articles didn't comply with the World Health Organization's recommended guidelines for suicide stories, which had potential to cause a subsequent copycat effect, also known as suicide contagion.
Suicide reactions and reporting have been under scrutiny in the past as well. Following Williams' death, the tweet "Genie, you're free" began circulating, which drew quite a bit of criticism.
"These stories, unfortunately with a celebrity, are going to get repeated. We know from our research and other research that the more there are such stories, the greater the likelihood that there will be some vulnerable person who. . . gets the message that suicide is the only way out," Madelyn Gould, Ph.D, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University told the HuffPost Healthy Living.
