Reporting of suicides

[crosswind]

The danger in reporting one suicide is that it is used as a template for another person to kill themselves or triggers something in their mind that sees them go over the edge. The tragedy of Irelands lost children has been swept under the carpet for a long time and because of that, we don't know the full extent of it's scale. There are two choices, keep things underground, give those at the front line the resources to work with those suffering and reach out to every single house's doorstep to ensure that while suicide is kept out of regular discussion, suicidal people are given treatment before things get out of hand. The other option is leadership from mental health professionals with the backing of politicians, to have a conversation with the nation about mental health and suicide prevention. To describe a hopeful future that would reach those without hope and to take away the barriers that stop people from making the steps to get help and doing what they need to do.

Maybe it will be a combination of the two that is most practical for right now. But when it comes to tragic circumstances it is hard to keep it swept under the carpet or have a conversation when the suffering of communities is so intense. The loss of loved ones in suicides has to be one of the hardest things to think about never mind have a conversation about. It's in the nature of things that specifics are what people can relate to, can gain understanding from and sympathise with. But it can be those specifics that open up the possiblity of copying. Perhaps what is needed now with the conversation is to begin with the obvious roots, like depression and other mental health difficulties, alcohol or drug abuse and then target vulnerable sectors of society. A society that doesn't understand the basics is hardly going to react well to the intense complexity that can accompany suicidal people and suicide. The willingness to invest in education and training of people has not been good enough, however things can change but only if there is leadership.

The last thing anyone wants is to see another suicide linked to the attempt to open up people's awareness of the existance of suicide in our society. It's imperative to keep the dangers in mind, the minefield of how people could perceive things. But that's not the whole story. The message that if you are suicidal you can seek help, it is there, is critical. You don't need to go to sleep tonight without the backing of your community, the health services will be there, the phone lines with someone to talk to are there, that times have changed and you do not have to be ashamed to seek help. And to others that live in the community that it is every persons responsiblity to pick up the phone or go visit the vulnerable person, or even just listen to the problems of your family and friends, a problem shared early can save suffereing down the line and learning now about how bad things can be could help you through it if things ever were to deteriorate.

In strategic terms, the resources to modernise Mental health in ireland have to be directed or we pay a huge collective price, even if we aren't aware of the full extent of that price. Other countries can make a difference so can we.

[stringjack]

The danger in reporting one suicide is that it is used as a template for another person to kill themselves or triggers something in their mind that sees them go over the edge.

What evidence is available to support the assertion?

[Zhirkov]

The danger in reporting one suicide is that it is used as a template for another person to kill themselves or triggers something in their mind that sees them go over the edge.

What evidence is available to support the assertion?

Well I personally know of more than one location that have been used for suicides on several occasions. An English one is Beachy Head but I know of a pretty nondescript bridge here where several suicides have occurred in a rural community.
Amongst young people in particular there does seem to be evidence of a copycat phenomenon with friends of people who have killed themselves committing suicide not long after. Time of day and the use of alcohol/drugs seem to be a recurring feature.

[crosswind]

A new study suggests that imitative, or copycat, suicide occurs among people with mental illnesses, and may account for around 10% of suicides by current and recent patients.
Most previous investigations of imitative suicides have reported suicide clustering in the general population – either time clustering, following media reporting, or geographically localised clusters.

The authors of this study, published in the November issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, used data collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness to look for clustering of suicides in space, time and method among people with mental illness across the UK.

They found a highly significant space-time and space-time-method clustering in a sample of 2741 people who died by suicide between 1996 and 2000. All had had recent contact with one of 105 mental health trusts.

Model simulations with an imitation rate of 10.1% reproduced the observed space-time-method clustering. The clustering found might have been caused by several factors operating singly or together, the researchers say.

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/press/preleases/pr/pr_739.htm
http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/187/5/476 (same study)

It's difficult to quantify exactly what goes on in people's minds when they decide to end their lives. However one thing we do know is that there are significantly more people who attempt suicide than complete it, research into suicide and mental health in this country has traditionally been minimal but that is hopefully on the verge of changing radically. A better understanding of why could help a lot in suicide prevention.

http://www.ias.ie/content.cfm?page=126&parent=125 -media guidelines
http://www.afsp.org/about/whattodo.htm -some comments on suicide and when you fear for someone.
http://www.afsp.org/survivor/home.htm -surviving suicide basics
http://www.afsp.org/education/recommend ... index.html -reporting of suicide examples.

[qtman]

The danger in reporting one suicide is that it is used as a template for another person to kill themselves or triggers something in their mind that sees them go over the edge.

What evidence is available to support the assertion?

There was also the famous case where the suicide rate in Britain jumped after Channel 4 did a series of documentaries on the subject.

crosswind is on the money on this one. When a young person commits suidice in Ireland there's always a big funeral, with guards of honour, attendance by local politicians, tributes from the priest etc etc. Another young person attending the funeral who might be on the edge would obviously come away thinking "You know, wouldn't it be great if they all turned up to remember me like that?"

This is an incredibly difficult subject. Obviously, you can't say to families that they can't have a public service. What it needs if for some victim's familiy to say this themselves, so that the taboo is removed.

[Gladstone]

Slightly off topic but kinda ON this issue...I heard a psycotherapist on the radio say he would only break confidentiality in two cases 1. If the paitent was gonna harm others (fair enough) or 2. If they said they were gonna kill themselves.

I'm wondering how ethical 2 is?

[DOD]

I actually don't buy the argument that reporting one suicide will inspire others to kill themselves. You have to be careful of course, but it always frustrates me that there is so much coverage of road accidents and so little of suicides.

[morryah]

I actually don't buy the argument that reporting one suicide will inspire others to kill themselves. .

It doesn't matter if you don't buy it. It's a well known phenomenon.

Very few people have original ideas - they get ideas from others and coverage of others' ideas.

[Gladstone]

On a morbid point, wouldn't it be better for someone for example, to know the exact lethal dose of something and die right away, instead of trying to overdose on say paracitimol, and then dying of slow liver failure over a few days, or getting brian damage and staying alive?

[DOD]

I actually don't buy the argument that reporting one suicide will inspire others to kill themselves. .

It doesn't matter if you don't buy it. It's a well known phenomenon.

Very few people have original ideas - they get ideas from others and coverage of others' ideas.

Are you meaning to tell me people are unable to hang themselves without hearing of other stories or shoot themselves without hearing of other stories? There was an episode of Nolan live a few months ago, where they actually showed a noose which some people had used to kill themselves (albeit with the rider that it was no longer there) no one came on subsequently trying to say they shouldn't have done it because it put people's lives at risk.

Now obviously you have to take family's feelings into account and perhaps there is an argument for not showing someone killing themselves, but I do not see what is wrong with people talking about their experiences on national TV. It has to be done to bring the message home.