Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide

Research and advice on preventing teen and adult suicide.

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

When Reality TV Gets It Right

How to promote prevention via “Real Housewives”

Published on August 31, 2011 by Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H in Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide

A couple of weeks ago, I posed three reasons Real Housewives of Beverly Hills should not focus on Russell Armstrong's suicide: because reality TV is not reality, sensationalizing suicide does not help prevent suicide, and what works for reality TV doesn't work for prevention.

So, I was more than pleased to find out that when the series starts next week, viewers will see suicide prevention public service announcements throughout the broadcast.

Bravo, the network where Real Housewives lives, is partnering with the Entertainment Industries Council and will be utilizing public service announcements that will promote the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1.800.273.TALK.

I'm intrigued by the work of the Entertainment Industries Council, which works to influence how Hollywood tells stories about mental health, mental illness, and substance abuse.

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Those of us who work on the ground on these issues would like to see more positive and accurate portrayals of people struggling with psychological issues. But, shows like Real Housewives, which get even more attention when something gawk-worthy happens to a show character often make decisions from a values orientation motivated by money.

I've heard many people who had never watched Real Housewives say that they would tune in to this upcoming season just to see what the show did with Armstrong's suicide. I'm sure there are advertisers clamoring for the commercial break spots. And I'm glad that some of those will be taken up with a message about prevention.

I understand that media are businesses, and that entertainment is a primary value driving the choices made by producers of reality TV. We, the consumers of these shows, feed into those decisions when we can't pull ourselves away from the proverbial train wrecks of other people's lives. (I'm just as guilty as anyone else.) So, I appreciate that when there is an opportunity to give some time to promoting prevention, there are some media outlets that take it. The balance of entertainment and social responsibility isn't hard to strike.

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Tags: advertisers, beverly hills, commercial break, hollywood, media, media outlets, mental health, mental illness, national suicide prevention lifeline, orientation, producers, psychological issues, public service announcements, real housewives, reality television, reality tv, russell armstrong, substance abuse, suicide, suicide prevention, taylor armstrong, television, train wrecks, tv

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Elana Premack Sandler, L.C.S.W., M.P.H., is a public health social worker specializing in violence and injury prevention and adolescent health promotion.

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