MENTAL HEALTH SPAIN requires the media to address information about suicide responsibly
Many of the news published by the media recently, on deaths by suicide, offer data and use resources contrary to the recommendations to report responsibly, such as indicating the methods.
From the SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation, we have detected in recent weeks a growing trend on the part of the media to report deaths by suicide in which the methods used are detailed.
We want to appeal to the responsibility of the media when reporting on these issues and we demand that they be addressed from a rigorous perspective, far from morbidity, and with specialist mental health professionals.
In some cases, the information affects minors, which forces the media to be more scrupulous, if possible, with the information offered in this regard and the spokespersons that are used.
At SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA we believe that the media play a fundamental role in society’s perception of reality and, therefore, they have the capacity to fight prejudices and stereotypes, and, in the case of suicide, to offer the necessary information. that allows its prevention.
Thus, we claim the need to talk about suicide, as a tool to deal with it, but in a responsible way, without falling into sensationalism and, always, going to reliable sources and experts in mental health.
To adequately inform about suicide, we recommend consulting the guide with Recommendations for the treatment of suicide by the media, prepared by the Ministry of Health, and We appeal to journalists to:
- Avoid describing and giving details about the method used, as well as the publication of photographs or suicide notes.
- Avoid treating information in a sensationalist way, especially in the case of famous people who may have a media impact.
- Do not give repetitive coverage and, instead, look for alternative articles or audiovisual pieces aimed at prevention.
- Provide available help resources, such as telephone lines, mental health services or suicide prevention guides. In Spain, we have the 024 telephone service for suicidal behavior, public, free, staffed by mental health specialists, available 24 hours a day.
- Look for reliable, objective and specialized sources in mental health.
- Do not simplify, and present suicide as a complex and multicausal phenomenon.
- Do not contribute to the myth that a suicide attempt is a wake-up call. The suicide attempt is a manifestation of the suffering and despair that the person feels.
Suicide is a behaviour, the result of terrible unfathomable suffering for the person who, due to the lack of means for quality mental health care, various social conditions (such as bullyingsuffer discrimination, poverty, exclusion, etc.), as well as the precariousness of resources to learn to manage emotions, they experience situations that lead them to end their life.
From the SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation we offer the Mental Health Media Style Guide: Words Do Matter and we also make ourselves available to all media to resolve doubts and support the dissemination of reliable, responsible, rigorous and destigmatizing information on mental health.
The SALUD MENTAL ESPAÑA Confederation offers a free information and advice service about mental health, available on the phone 91 5079248 and email informacion@consaludmental.org. There are other organizations specialized in these cases. If in doubt, seek professional help and advice.