Online suicide: a new trend? Or just a gift to the Daily Mail
BBC Online story.

“Brandon Vedas, a 21-year-old computer expert from Arizona, USA, killed himself with a lethal dose of prescription drugs in January while chatting to online buddies.

In a macabre twist to the story, a transcript of his final hours found by his family a week after his death shows that his online friends egged him on to take more and more drugs.

The cocktail of prescription drugs which killed Mr Vedas, who spent much of his spare time on the net, included Klonopin, Methadone and Restoril. …”

Now the dead man’s brother has been speaking out against his ‘buddies’ and the fact that no one tried to stop Vedas from taking the drugs :

“You look at the actions of people and there is such a disconnect from what was really happening. You see people laughing about it and encouraging him to take more,” Rich told the BBC World Service’s Outlook programme.

“As time progressed and they could see and talk and see that the drugs were taking an effect and that he’d taken large quantities, you see them beginning to question whether or not they should contact the authorities, what they should do.

“Ultimately you see everyone stepping back and doing nothing.”

Hmmm… Not sure what this tragedy proves — is it about human stupidity; or human callousness; or the disconnection between real and virtual life?