(In Person) Social Media & Suicide: Contagion, Prevention, & Intervention
- Topic Areas:
- Social Media | Suicide Interventions
- Categories:
- Live Events--In Person
- Speaker:
- Rachel Conrad, M.D.
- Course Levels:
- Intermediate
- Duration:
- 1 Hour
- License:
- Not Applicable
Producer: Brattleboro Retreat
Description
Lunch will be served to attendees prior to the beginning of the presentation.
The rates of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and suicide among adolescents have been increasing for a decade and rose rapidly during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of maladaptive behaviors including disordered eating, self-harm, and suicide, are uniquely contagious among adolescents. This contagion may occur among friends or acquaintances within a small environment like a school or via media. Shows romanticizing suicide have clearly demonstrated increased suicides among target audiences, and algorithms on social media increase exposure to disordered eating, self-harm, and suicide among users who are most vulnerable. This lecture will explore these phenomena and the ethical duties to intervene.
Credits
Vermont
1 CE Credits
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists, and is also approved by the Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners to sponsor continuing education for psychologists licensed in Vermont. This course is intended to qualify for specialty mandated credit types as follows:
Ethics:
Cultural Competency:
Continuing education courses sponsored by the Vermont Psychological Association are pre-approved by the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation for continuing education credit for licensed independent clinical social workers in Vermont. This course is intended to qualify for the following specialty mandated credit types;
Ethics:
Cultural Competency:
Continuing education courses sponsored by the Vermont Psychological Association are pre-approved by the Vermont Board of Allied Mental Health for continuing education credit for licensed clinical mental health counselors and licensed marriage and family therapists in Vermont. This course is intended to qualify for the following specialty mandated credit types:
Ethics:
Cultural Competency:
Connecticut
1 CE Credits
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Connecticut accepts these credits for continuing education for psychologists in Connecticut pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-191c(b). This course is intended to qualify for specialty mandated credit types as follows:
Veterans' Mental Health:
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing educaiton for psychologists. Based on this approval, this course is pre-approved for credit for Connecticut licensed professional counselors under Conn. Agencies Regs § 20-195cc-3(a)(1). This course is intended to qualify for mandated credit types as follows:
Ethics:
Veterans' Mental Health:
Massachusetts
1 CE Credits for Psychologists & LMHCs
1.2 CE Credits for LCSWs
1CE Credits for LMHCs
The Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists accepts credits earned from courses sponsored by APA-approved sponsors as indicated in 251 C.M.R. §§ 4.02, 4.03.
As a course sponsored by an APA-approved CE sponsor, this course qualifies for credit for clinical social workers and certified social workers in Massachusetts under 258 CMR sec 31.04(2)(d).
The Vermont Psychological Association (VPA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7610. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. VPA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
New Hampshire
1 CE Credits
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor live continuing education for psychologists. The New Hampshire Board of Psychologists accepts credits earned from courses sponsored by APA-approved sponsors as indicated in Psyc § 402.01(d)(11). This course is intended to qualify for specialty mandated credit types as follows:
Ethics:
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education to psychologists. As a course sponosred by an organization with such approval, these credits are also accepted by the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice for clinical social workers licensed in New Hampshire, as provided in Mhp 402.02(b)(1). This course is intended to qualify for the following specialty mandated credits:
Ethics:
Suicide Prevention: 1
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education to psychologists. As a course sponosred by an organization with such approval, these credits are also accepted by the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice for clinical mental health counselors licensed in New Hampshire, as provided in Mhp 402.02(b)(1). This course is intended to qualify for the following specialty mandated credits:
Ethics:
Suicide Prevention: 1
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. As a course sponosred by an organization with such approval, these credits are also accepted by the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice for marriage and family therapists; pastoral psychotherapists; and school social workers licensed in New Hampshire, as provided in Mhp 402.02(b)(1). The course is intended to qualify for the following specialty mandated credit types:
Ethics:
Suicide Prevention: 1
New York
1 CE Contact Hours
The Vermont Psychological Association is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0210. This course is intended to qualify for specialty mandated continuing education topics as follows:
Ethics:
Professional Boundaries:
Other States Accepting Credits from APA-Approved Sponsors
1 CE Credits
The Vermont Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor live continuing education for psychologists. The Vermont Psychological Association maintains responsibility for its programs and their content. Psychologists and other professionals licensed in states whose respective licensing boards approve continuing education offered by APA-approved sponsors may earn continuing education credits for this course.
Other States Accepting Credits from NBCC-Approved Sponsors
1 CE Credits
The Vermont Psychological Association (VPA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7610. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. VPA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Speaker

Rachel Conrad, M.D. Related Seminars and Products
Interim Medical Director of Adolescent Services
Brattleboro Retreat
Dr. Conrad is currently medical director of Adolescent Services at Brattleboro Retreat. She was previously medical director of Young Adult Mental Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at Emory University School of Medicine, her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital, and her bioethics fellowship at the Harvard Medical School. She is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics. Her academic work focuses on autonomy and psychiatric treatment of adolescents and young adults. She received the Eisenhower Fellowship for her work in Youth Mental Health in 2022.
Course Objectives
Objective 1Review trends in suicide among adolescents and unique biological, psychological, and social factors that impact this population.
Objective 2
Introduce concepts of suicide contagion and suicide clusters.
Objective 3
Explore how educational institutions, as well as news, entertainment, and social media, become mechanisms of suicide contagion.
Objective 4
Discuss expert recommendations on language and communication that reduces risk of suicide contagion.