Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide

Research and advice on preventing teen and adult suicide.

by Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H.

Elana Premack Sandler, LCSW, MPH, is a public health social worker specializing in violence and injury prevention and adolescent health promotion. See full bio

August 24, 2009, Media

Celebrity death and suicide contagion

How media can help prevent suicide

I've always had mixed feelings about celebrity suicide deaths making the news - is it "good" for suicide prevention, because more people are talking about suicide, or is it "bad" because the stories may contribute to other suicide deaths?

In the last week, two big news articles ended up in my in-box. First, the death by suicide of Israeli entertainment star Dudu Topaz, and second, the death by suicide of VH1 reality show contestant Ryan Jenkins.

I've decided not to include any links to articles about these two deaths, because most of what I've read has included graphic details of the means by which these two men took their lives.

These details are not only unnecessary - they are also unsafe.

By providing information about the means of suicide death, journalists may contribute to suicide contagion, the spreading of suicide behavior quickly and spontaneously.

A group of researchers came together in 2001 to examine available research to determine recommendations for media coverage of suicide. The number one recommendation: avoid detailed descriptions of the suicide, including specifics of the method and location.

What we know is that for individuals who are already vulnerable to suicide, hearing explicit details about suicide via the media increases risk. Glamorizing celebrity suicide also increases risk. Why should we hear more about a celebrity because he or she has died by suicide than we might have heard about that person if he or she had continued to live?

Media can play a role in helping to prevent suicide by including hotline numbers and reporting about prevention with as much interest as suicide deaths. Instead of including when-and-how details, include a sidebar or an information box with a list of warning signs and risk factors for suicide. If a smaller media outlet is covering any suicide death, be it celebrity or local, consider having a complementary story talking about local suicide prevention activities.

Media are so influential on public perception of suicide - I, for one, wish that media would use this power for good and give appropriate coverage to deaths, while highlighting all that is being done to prevent suicide deaths in the first place.