ABSTRACT
After the opening of the first parts of the Viennese subway system in 1978, it became increasingly acceptable as a means for suicide and suicide attempts, with a sharp increase beginning in 1984. is and the fact that the press reported about these events in a very dramatic way led to the formulation of media guidelines which were launched to the press in mid-1987. e media reports changed immediately and markedly, and the number of subway suicides and attempts decreased by more than 80 percent from the first to the second half of 1987, remaining at a rather low level since. is year was also the turning point from a slightly increasing to a long-lasting decreasing overall suicide rate in Austria.
