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MySpace Users Now Have A Place For Remembrance

MyDeathSpace, which began as a message board in August/September 2005, with the aim to track down all MySpace.com members who had passed away, links to news storied gathered from the Web and victims` MySpace pages. The site gives mourners a place to connect online. Ilene Berson, an associate professor at the University of Florida`s Mental Health Institute said: "I`ve heard reports of young people who got into destructive dialogue online where they would dare each other to die, or share ways to complete the suicide successfully. Without doing the research we really have no idea, but it would be exciting to find that people who engage in social networking sites are less likely to commit suicide."

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year olds, following accidents and homicides, she said. Understanding the dynamics of how youth today talk online about suicide could in the long run help create prevention initiatives.

Josh Ballard, 17, who committed suicide in November 2005, began communicating his troubles at least one year prior on MySpace.com. Friends became alarmed Monday night and posted messages that urged him not to hurt himself, but at 8:14 a.m., Tuesday, the Mission Viejo, Calif., male left a message saying "call the police" and "I`m so sorry." And this is just one out of many similar cases.