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BY ROMA GONZALES
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Wednesday, October 25, 2017
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THE LAST few weeks saw a string of suicide cases in the local circulation. Is the incidence rising? Or is it just because this kind of news is being reported more often now, even sensationalized? And does reporting have any effect on its rate?
As early as July, Councilor Candice Tupas already pointed out the increasing rate of suicide deaths in Western Visayas. Up to the present, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) recorded 22 suicide cases in the metropolis from 2015.
Last week, Mae Sheilou Conserva, a friend who works as a public high school teacher, took the initiative to send Facebook messages to local news stations about responsible suicide reporting. She argues that sensationalizing reports on suicide deaths and attempts only worsens the situation. It gives the idea to those who are already suffering to take the same self-destructive path.
When these stories are presented in a humorous tone, as in making light of the victim’s motivations, it further discourages those who read them who may be suffering from undiagnosed depression, seemingly pushing them deeper into hopelessness and isolation.
Perhaps even worse than incorrect facts is when suicide stories are reported as human interest write-ups, making fun of the person’s age, occupation, or educational attainment. We try to find an angle to make an already tragic event even more “interesting.” We unfairly judge the victims with the notes that they leave, mere scribbles written in a rush by a hazy mind besieged with despair, hopelessness and anger.
Reports make us believe that people kill themselves “simply” because they lost a job or got heartbroken when the truth is so much more complex. A suicide may be a combination of so many factors such as a present crisis superimposed on a troubled childhood or a physiological abnormality such as a lack of certain brain chemicals.
SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota, acknowledges the reality of “suicide contagion” or “copycat suicide.” It’s a phenomenon when one or more suicides influence another suicide.
Reportingonsuicide.org claims that news coverage can indeed encourage at least a suicide attempt in vulnerable individuals, depending on how much, how long and how the coverage is presented. When the method is detailed or if the death is romanticized or glamorized, additional suicides can be expected to follow.
When presenting such cases, reportingonsuicide.org recommends that the following are present:
- a) a suicide hotline
- b) the warning signs of suicide
- c) what to do if someone exhibits the warning signs
- d) corrections on the misconceptions about suicide
Suicide cases should be reported as a public health concern, the organization asserts, and not as a crime news.
A suicide report should be an opportunity to offer hope and to correct misconceptions. Should somebody you know may be talking about wanting to die or exhibiting strange behavior and extreme emotions, offer to listen or better yet, get them professional help.
Be aware that we have a suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255. (rr_gonzales316@yahoo.com/PN)
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