The Golden Gate Bridge is currently the number one suicide site in the world. In contrast, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which was completed six months earlier, is located less than six miles away, and is the same height, has had substantially fewer suicides. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the differential suicide patterns at these two structures. Using official records available for the years from 1937 through 1979, the data were analyzed with regard to the respective contributions of availability, suggestion, and psychological/symbolic factors as they enter into the choice of suicide method and location.
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