I've heard discussions of why local news papers do not report teen suicides as suicides in obituaries for precisely the reason of copy cat effects in the community.

I'm have not read 'The Tipping Point' but surely it makes similar arguments. The question I would like to know answered is if the Telegraph is helping the situation through improved discussions on teen suicide and the need to help youth suffering from depression or will they spawn copy cat effects by broadcasting nationally/world wide of a suicide craze. I certainly hope that the youth in the community are helped and that this fad is stopped.

While the copycat fear is valid, I think in the longrun suppressing information about teen suicide can't be a reliable way to prevent it.

To reliably prevent teen suicide, you need to have error correction -- when someone has a mistaken idea about it, you persuade them of a better idea. This requires providing accurate information, not hoping they'll never think of bad ideas in the first place.

True, but the article is not focusing on information to correct mistaken ideas, but on the rise of a terrible fad among teens in several small communities. The article tells how some kids think it is 'cool', that those who have followed receive attention after they are gone in the form of websites, and that it is easier to discuss and deal with feelings on social websites instead of with family members or mental health professionals. I am just worried that a youth viewing such a news article might receive the wrong impression.

I do agree with you, but I still have criticism with this article specifically. They do not even give information on hot-lines, websites, or anonymous groups to help those who need/want help.

Robert Cialdini devotes a chapter to this in his book "Influence", which is an utterly brilliant classic on social psychology.