Until recently suicide has long been the topic no media will touch. Yet more than 2000 Australians commit suicide each year and for every person who dies from suicide, another 30 attempt it.
For the most part, it’s a topic the media has been reluctant to cover for fear that highlighting the issue could prompt copycat acts or glamourise suicide in some way.
They’re legitimate concerns and ones that have to be carefully negotiated, but sometimes silence itself is unhelpful. In the past, silence on other issues including mental illness and child abuse have served only to perpetuate the problems.
That’s why a recent move by the Australian Press Council to implement new guidelines for reporting on suicide has been welcomed by so many - including mental health reform advocate Patrick McGorry, Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA), SANE and national counselling service Lifeline.
The guidelines follow on from a 2010 Senate report, The Hidden Toll, which recommended that the Australian public should be better informed about suicide through the media.
With awareness about suicide, so too comes awareness about suicide prevention. That’s why industry leaders like Professor McGorry say reporting on this once taboo topic is essential. Of course, at the same time, we know reporting on suicide must continue to be responsible and should not cover the reporting of individuals’ names, methods used or locations.
September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day – a day to acknowledge the devastating impacts that flow from a person’s choice to take their own life – and to highlight what we can all do to help prevent it from happening.
Many of us have been deeply touched by this issue in our lives. The sense of desperation or loneliness that must accompany such a decision challenges us to make sense of it and question what more we could have done personally. There are things we can do.
R U OK? Day (Thursday 15 September, 2011), is a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop small problems from escalating. Staying in touch with others is crucial, and having regular, meaningful conversations with the people you care about is easy. The R U OK? Day website is an excellent resource for information on the issue, providing information tailored for the workplace, schools, university, sports teams, and health services.
R U OK? Day is just one of many great initiatives and organisations working towards the prevention of suicide, and better mental health. I would also like to take a moment to pay tribute to the many organisations which are working to decrease the incidence of suicide in Australia. They offer help to those who are troubled and advice and information to those of us who would like to do what we can to help. Let us all consider what personal commitment we can make to reduce this toll.
For further information, please visit:
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800
Lifeline - 13 11 14
| Senate Report - The Hidden Toll.pdf |
