Suicide reporting guidelines

• 1. Exclude suicide methodkeyboard_arrow_down

  [ Model is under construction - strong need for labeling to make model work better ]

  Use: Include only the least amount of information about the method as possible. Example: “John Doe died by suicide”;

  Avoid: Avoid reporting the specific details around the suicide, to minimize the contagion effect or copy-cat behaviors.
  Examples to avoid: “pointed a 357 Magnum to his right temple”; “took 100 pills mixed with Gin.”

  In cases of suicide, it can be difficult to tell a story and create a narrative for the audience to understand and relate to, without increasing the reader's risk of over-identifying with the person who died and leading to additional death through contagion. When it comes to the issue of reporting on a method this can be even more of a challenge and risk for some in your audience who will look for the method and attempt to copy it. Therefore, whenever possible avoid including the method in your story and if there is a need to include something about the method do so in as detail-free way as possible.

• 2. Use appropriate languagekeyboard_arrow_down

  Use: "Died by suicide; Suicided; Took their life"

  Avoid: “Commit suicide”; “attempt to” or “chose to”; “killed himself"

  People associate the word committed with “committing a crime” or “committing a sin.” This language is hurtful to suicide loss survivors and it does not help the public understand the complexity of suicide.

  Stories of hope and recovery should be emphasized whenever possible. Stories treatment, hope and recovery provide opportunities to share details that are positive in nature.

• 3. Avoid blamekeyboard_arrow_down

  [ Model is under construction - strong need for labeling to make model work better ]

  Use: Help your audience understand that suicide is complex and always has multiple factors involved, some that may never be fully known.

  Avoid: It is not helpful to attribute a death by suicide to one cause, nor it is to blame an event or a person.

  Research has shown that there are often triggers or near-term events that happen to some who die by suicide that might make it appear as though that was the reason for their death, but it was not the main or only reason. Triggers can be any common life events that normally they would have been able to cope effectively through, such as a break up of a relationship, job loss, etc.

  Triggers are not the only cause of a suicide and it is essential to avoid describing them in that way. It is better to describe multiple risk factors that have contributed to suicidal behavior; including underlying mental health or substance abuse illnesses. Multiple factors and stressors impacting the person, any known coping skills that broke down, etc. are better to include rather than including just one thing that might have led to a death.

• 4. Include Education and Helpkeyboard_arrow_down

  To help prevent another suicide it is helpful to always include resources in your report to a national a local crisis center for your audience such as:

  In the U.S., the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s # is 1-800-273-8255. Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (US), 686868 (Canada), or 85258 (UK).

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  Including education about suicide and resources for those at risk, has a dual benefit of destigmatizing mental illness/suicidal ideation and providing sufferers with a lifeline when they may need it most.

  Research has found an increased risk of contagion or copy-cat suicide following media reports of a suicide, specifically a suicide of a celebrity and when the reporting does not follow the Best Practice Recommendations for Media Reporting on Suicide, and when the duration or frequency of the reporting is high. People at-risk (those with a prior suicide attempt, current suicidal thinking or planning, someone who has suffered a loss by suicide) might be particularly susceptible to media reports on suicide and at a greater risk when the Best Practices are not followed.