Suicide reporting can do with new perspective
There have been several instances of celebrities dying young. One recalls actor-director Guru Dutt being found dead. He had taken an overdose of sleeping pills along with alcohol. Dutt had experienced a few such episodes earlier, but had survived. Actress Divya Bharti’s death was considered an accident. She, too, was reportedly suffering from depression. However, these cases did not take on the macabre hue now being witnessed in suicide reporting in the country. Journalists of electronic and print media seem to have lost all sense of circumspect sensitivity and empathy.
The privacy of an individual who has died has been disrespected, with people forwarding photos of the body and a thousand unfounded, fabricated stories doing the rounds, each embellished with details that no one could verify. For weeks, a media circus has ensued! What has been lost is sensitivity and on evidence is a populace that has thrived on a witch-hunt and a continuing media trial.
Many people came forth to the psychiatrists disturbed by the news coverage. Many reported an increase in their anxiety and a fear that they may end up in a similar situation where suicidal thoughts may prevail upon them. Copycat suicide or Werther effect — based on a character from a novel by Goethe — is well-known after celebrity suicides. Also called suicide contagion, it reflects the increase in suicides after such news appears. For example, after the suicide by Marilyn Monroe, suicide rates rose by 12% across the US. After the release of a Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, Google searches for methods of suicide increased by 19%.
A young girl, a model, visited a psychiatrist. She spoke of the triggers for her depression, her loneliness despite a supportive family. While in Norway, she was advised by friends to seek treatment for her depression and not ignore it. When she returned to India, she received comments such as: Why are you taking medication, do yoga; medication is addictive etc.
She knew that the medication was not addictive, she took just one pill daily. It helped her to work. She did not mention any suicidal ideas. After two weeks, she committed suicide. The family — a distraught sister and parents — visited the psychiatrist looking for clues, for answers. However, she had given some other name and could not be traced. Her family was devastated, yet they set up a foundation and decided to help others with psychiatric illnesses. They had understood that she had depression and that they needed to create more conversations around psychiatric illnesses.
Another young woman came and related how she was better off with treatment. She knew her own health was more important than the misconceptions of the people. Yet, she is one in a thousand. Many either do not take medication or stop medicines prematurely. Depression, for example, can be triggered for no reason as a genetic illness or environmental factors due to release of hormones which disrupt the immune system and cause a chronic inflammation in the brain.
Yet, well-known people have been commenting on a subject about which they lack knowledge. In fact, celebrities have posted comments on Twitter: ‘Repeat after me, no one snaps out of depression’ and ‘Depression ka dhanda chalane waalon ko public ne unki aukaat dikha di’, little realising how they are harming a country with millions suffering from mental health issues. India has three psychiatrists per one million people, while the US has 100. Every seventh person suffers from a psychiatric illness. Still, we have ignorant celebrities mouthing inanities.
There have been media guidelines for suicide reporting for years. Who applies these guidelines? Should these be binding? Should there be an ethics committee for monitoring such reporting? The guidelines clearly state: avoid sensationalising; avoid mention of the method of suicide; avoid photos; mention suicide helplines; emphasise that it is a symptom and treatable; and, avoid repetition of stories.
However, recent reporting has been repetitive and sensational to an extreme. It shows extreme ignorance and apathy, catering to an audience willing to lap up such news.
Suicide-related deaths are among the highest in India. In 2016, the rates per 1,00,000 were 21.2 for men and 14.7 for women, with six states having a suicide rate of 18 per 1,00,000 among women. India has one of the highest rates of suicide among women in the world, indicating the social pressures on them.
These figures, apart from reflecting massive social upheaval — migrants who have higher rates of suicide, students facing exam pressure, unemployment and substance use — also lay bare poor mental health facilities. Many suicides are associated with alcohol and other substance use.
Even in cities where there are psychiatrists, many do not seek care due to lack of awareness and the stigma attached. We need initiatives on mental health and a national suicide prevention programme. The Covid-related economic crisis is going to lead to many more psychiatric illnesses, and therefore, suicides too. Student and farmer suicides are known. Also, we have one of the highest number of suicides in the age group of 15-24 years, which is alarming. We urgently need a national programme to prevent suicides.
WHO guidelines for the media
- Take the opportunity to educate the public about suicide
- Avoid language which sensationalises or normalises suicide, or presents it as a solution to problems
- Avoid prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide
- Avoid explicit description of the method used in a completed or attempted suicide
- Avoid providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide
- Word headlines carefully
- Exercise caution in using photographs or video footage
- Take particular care in reporting celebrity suicides
- Show due consideration for people bereaved by suicide
- Provide information about where to seek help
- Recognise that media professionals themselves may be affected by stories about suicide
