Adolf Merckle — German billionaire jumped in front of a train in January after losing hundreds of millions in the markets.
Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet — French nobleman and financier slashed his wrists two days before Christmas 2008.
Steven L. Good — Chicago real estate executive shot himself in the head in January after publicly worrying about the collapsing market.
Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, a George Washington University professor of psychiatry, said suicides can be triggered by reports of related suicides.
“Whenever somebody commits suicide, it increases the risks for anybody who will be exposed to it,” he said.
Lieberman said there was no evidence that suicides spike during a bad economy, despite public perception.
“There’s a reason why it gains traction in popular culture, and that is, ‘Hey, these guys are getting their comeuppance,’ ” he said.
