Suicide has been an ongoing debate throughout human existence. According to the French philosopher Albert Camus, in "The Myth of Sisyphus", it is the only serious philosophical problem.
Various countries have national journalism codes which range from one extreme of, "Suicide and attempted suicide should in general never be given any mention." to a more moderate, "In cases of suicide, publishing or broadcasting information in an exaggerated way that goes beyond normal dimensions of reporting with the purpose of influencing readers or spectators should not occur.
One of the earliest known associations between the media and suicide arose from Goethe’s novel Die Leiden des jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther), published in 1774. In that work the hero shoots himself after an ill-fated love, and shortly after its publication
there were many reports of young men using the same method to commit suicide. This resulted in a ban of the book in several places, hence the term “Werther effect”, used to designate imitation (or copycat) suicides.
The media plays a significant role in today’s society by providing a very wide range of information in a variety of ways. They strongly influence community attitudes, beliefs and behaviour, and play a vital role in politics, economics and social practice. Because of that influence media can also play an active role in suicide. There is an unwritten rule amongst journalists that suicides are normally not reported since it is suggested that it may contribute to "copycat suicides". On occasions the media thinks its justified in reporting on suicides in certain situations, such as when it occurs in public institutions, celebrities or as part of some social phenomenon.
Suicide is classified under mental and behavioural disorders, so glorifying suicide victims as martyrs and objects of public adulation may suggest to susceptible persons that their society honours suicidal behaviour. Instead, the emphasis should be on mourning the person’s death. Overall, there is enough evidence to suggest that some forms of non-fictional newspaper and television coverage of suicide are associated with a statistically significant excess of suicide. The impact appears to be strongest among young people. The majority of suicides are not reported in the media, 95%. In fact, cases presented in the media are almost invariably atypical and uncommon, and to represent them as typical further perpetuates misinformation about suicide. Clinicians and researchers acknowledge that it is not news coverage of suicide per se, but certain types of news coverage, that increase suicidal behaviour in vulnerable populations. Certain types of coverage, on the other hand may help to prevent imitation of the suicidal behaviour. Nevertheless, there is always the possibility that publicity about suicide might make the idea of suicide seem “normal”.
Repeated and continual coverage of suicide tends to induce and promote suicidal preoccupations, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
I personally agree that suicide and any other death should be reported and in my opinion in much more detail (i.e.. graphically) in order to demystify death. Fear can be a great deterrent. Our society seems to hide away from death when it is only a single phase in our eternal existence no matter how it manifests itself.
well thats all very well for camus to come to the conclusions he does. but for someone who's there, their logic may differ greatly and to them, camus could be full of shite.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
This is absolutely true angelica. There was a story that someone posted a little while ago (i think it was Helen from Ireland), where there were something like 20 odd suicides in the one small town amongst young people recently. One would suicide, everyone would post about it on their myspace account and then someone would copy them. They saw it as a way to get attention. Damn that was so awful to read.
Yep, that was me... this is being talked about in the media a good bit here. There was a young girl buried a couple of days ago and ya know by the way the article is worded that it was suicide... but the word was never used.
Chime, I was talking about bridgend indeed... although that's a very extreme case... I wouldn't be at all surprised if all's not how it appears there :eek:
The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
I personally agree that suicide and any other death should be reported and in my opinion in much more detail (i.e.. graphically) in order to demystify death. Fear can be a great deterrent. Our society seems to hide away from death when it is only a single phase in our eternal existence no matter how it manifests itself.
I dunno... I think we see enough images of blown up bodies in the news... too many perhaps. Maybe we're all actually desensitised to the whole thing now.
The Astoria??? Orgazmic!
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
sometimes they're not seen until it's too late. hindsight is a wonderful thing isnt it?
With the suicide intervention training I've taken, we were taught that in one year alone (in Canada, in 2003, with a population of 31,669,300):
There were 3,765 suicides.
1: for each reported suicide there are 5% to 25% more suicides.
2: non-fatal suicidal behaviours are 40 - 100 times greater than the number of suicides.
3: 5% of the entire population have suicidal thoughts (1,583,4600 in Canada in one year alone).
Ultimately, there are a vast vast number of people who become suicidal and who practice suicidal behaviours and yet do not complete suicide. There are many, many ways the numerous clear and recognizable warning signs are acknowledged and used as an indicator in moving towards finding help by the person in pain, and by those around them, layperson and professional alike, in each and every day.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
I'm no expert on this subject but most of the time aren't warning signs there?
Some potentially high risk groups:
the elderly
those with sexual identity/gender issues
aboriginal peoples
while women attempt suicide more regularly, men follow through more
those with a mental health diagnosis
someone who is in ongoing/chronic physical pain
anyone while abusing substances
someone who has a suicide plan..the more detailed the plan, or the more immediate the means of suicide are at hand, the higher the risk (ie: planning to hang one's self or jump from a window, or bridge is a high immediate risk, as is a plan to ingest stockpiled meds on hand)
Some signs are:
giving away possessions
withdrawal from friends/family/school/work
loss of interest in hobbies
reckless behaviour
extreme behaviour changes
impulsivity
self-mutilation
lack of interest in appearance
change/loss of sexual interest
disturbed sleep
changes/loss of appetite
physical health complaints
abuse of alcohol/drugs
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
My cousin, the only boy in our immediate family to carry on our last name committed suicide. He was bi-polar and stuck a shot gun in his mouth (remind you of anyone else?) the moment his father walked out of his home. They were arguing and trying to help him but couldn't.
I can tell you that the reason people who are closest to it, don't talk about it, is mainly because of guilt.
Just writing this post, brings so much back to the surface and it was so long ago.
I'm not saying my cousin killed himself because Kurt killed himself, but I am saying that their desperation level was the same. They both had a disease that even Dr.'s have an extremely hard time treating and getting people on the right meds and when they do get them on the right meds you still have to constantly make sure the person is taking their meds.
It's been so long now but he was like a brother to me, and I have a hard time going to the family dinners that we have many times a year, just because no one will speak of him, it just hurts way too much for all of us. We all failed him, miserably.
I am against guns, maybe for the wrong reason, but whatever. I feel that if he didn't have the gun, MAYBE he wouldn't have done it. The gun made it quick and easy for him. He may have found another way but this is how I feel, and I don't give a shit if you disagree with me-this is something I wear with me on a daily basis.
My best friends cousin killed himself as well, one reason we are so close. He was sick just like my cousin and used a gun.
I'm not sure if a sane, physically and mentally healthy person is really meant to understand why people kill themselves.
All I know, is that I have been ill since October of last year. Physically not mentally. I have been to soooooooooooo many Dr.'s and paid for a lot of it out of my own pocket. I have not been diagnosed with anything, even though it's hard to just get through the day. The people who love me the most, I'm sure are sick as hell to even have to listen to it anymore, that's just how I feel. For the first time in my life, I could understand why someone wouldn't want to go on this way. You get to a point where you just feel hopeless, and that no one can help you anyway.
Believe me, I'm not going to kill myself. I'm just saying that I can understand the desperation, even when you have people around you who love you and want to help, sometimes there is just nothing they can do, and you can convince yourself that it would just be better for everyone around you if you were not here.
So to go back to your original question, why is suicide not reported and why don't you ever hear of those deaths vs all the road deaths that you hear about on a nightly basis. My opinion is, you can prevent road deaths; better roads, better cars, more trained drivers. You aren't going to be able to do a damn thing if someone wants to check out of this life early. There is nothing you can say or do for someone who is convinced that is their only option. So why discuss it, when no one seems to have the answers.
I am very sorry to hear about your loss.
I also hear what you are saying. After spending years suicidal myself, I was shocked to find that my step-sister, after numerous efforts, actually committed suicide. I was angry and blamed our family environment, as I had felt their unhealthy effects many, many times. Then, due to my own experiences, I got into suicide intervention, accumulating some fairly indepth crisis skills - ie: psychiatrists and psychologists do not have the degree of crisis training I do. Last summer, I intensified my training. It was at this time that I fully let go of my judgment and blame of those who are around a suicidal individual. It is humbling that for as much as we know about suicide, there is SO much that we don't know yet. Yet, we do continue to move along and increase our understanding and knowledge Last fall, I found out my best friend's son was acting on suicidal tendencies. She took him for help, accessed numerous resources, including the local crisis centre, psychiatric help/meds, social workers and school guidance counsellors. He ended up taking his own life anyway. So, while for many individuals there are options and ways out, and many warning signs and options are utilized, and many suicidal thoughts are not followed through on, ultimately when an individual is set on ending their life, it is their choice. And it happens with sometimes alarming regularity.
"The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth." ~ Niels Bohr
With the suicide intervention training I've taken, we were taught that in one year alone (in Canada, in 2003, with a population of 31,669,300):
There were 3,765 suicides.
1: for each reported suicide there are 5% to 25% more suicides.
2: non-fatal suicidal behaviours are 40 - 100 times greater than the number of suicides.
3: 5% of the entire population have suicidal thoughts (1,583,4600 in Canada in one year alone).
Ultimately, there are a vast vast number of people who become suicidal and who practice suicidal behaviours and yet do not complete suicide. There are many, many ways the numerous clear and recognizable warning signs are acknowledged and used as an indicator in moving towards finding help by the person in pain, and by those around them, layperson and professional alike, in each and every day.
oh absolutely angelica im very aware that suicidal ideation does not always lead to suicide. hence my saying, sometimes.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Australian statistics show that the yearly total of suicides in our country outnumber the total of road deaths, which in itself is extremely alarming.
However, we rarely hear of these suicide deaths, only to be subjected to nightly reports of yet another road death.
Why is this??? Why are these deaths not reported on?
My understanding is that health services are loath to report suicide statistics so as not to encourage others. I recall this being particularly bad in rural areas during the height of the drought, statistics in rural Australia are still very high and I do remember some discussion on several occassions about reports of jumpers from Melbourne's Westgate Bridge and how the authorities do not release that information so as not to encourage others to follow.
There was a heroin toll reported in the newspapers each day along with the road toll when there have been education programmes and initiatives going on or when a particularly bad batch of the drug hits our shores but I don't think that is happening at the moment, although the last time was fairly recent.
There is more media discussion about suicide statistics whenever Beyond Blue is having an initiative but in many cases suicide as a death may not be as readily assertained as perhaps a heroin overdose or a road death, so discussion is usually on statistics and trends in general and not individual cases.
A case in which a person is found dead does require a doctor to sign off on the death certificate. It would probably follow if they had any questions regarding the reason for the death this would require them to report the death to the coroner who would then take some time to investigate and rule on the cause of death. This may also effect the reporting being more instantaneous and individual.
Comments
Various countries have national journalism codes which range from one extreme of, "Suicide and attempted suicide should in general never be given any mention." to a more moderate, "In cases of suicide, publishing or broadcasting information in an exaggerated way that goes beyond normal dimensions of reporting with the purpose of influencing readers or spectators should not occur.
One of the earliest known associations between the media and suicide arose from Goethe’s novel Die Leiden des jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther), published in 1774. In that work the hero shoots himself after an ill-fated love, and shortly after its publication
there were many reports of young men using the same method to commit suicide. This resulted in a ban of the book in several places, hence the term “Werther effect”, used to designate imitation (or copycat) suicides.
The media plays a significant role in today’s society by providing a very wide range of information in a variety of ways. They strongly influence community attitudes, beliefs and behaviour, and play a vital role in politics, economics and social practice. Because of that influence media can also play an active role in suicide. There is an unwritten rule amongst journalists that suicides are normally not reported since it is suggested that it may contribute to "copycat suicides". On occasions the media thinks its justified in reporting on suicides in certain situations, such as when it occurs in public institutions, celebrities or as part of some social phenomenon.
Suicide is classified under mental and behavioural disorders, so glorifying suicide victims as martyrs and objects of public adulation may suggest to susceptible persons that their society honours suicidal behaviour. Instead, the emphasis should be on mourning the person’s death. Overall, there is enough evidence to suggest that some forms of non-fictional newspaper and television coverage of suicide are associated with a statistically significant excess of suicide. The impact appears to be strongest among young people. The majority of suicides are not reported in the media, 95%. In fact, cases presented in the media are almost invariably atypical and uncommon, and to represent them as typical further perpetuates misinformation about suicide. Clinicians and researchers acknowledge that it is not news coverage of suicide per se, but certain types of news coverage, that increase suicidal behaviour in vulnerable populations. Certain types of coverage, on the other hand may help to prevent imitation of the suicidal behaviour. Nevertheless, there is always the possibility that publicity about suicide might make the idea of suicide seem “normal”.
Repeated and continual coverage of suicide tends to induce and promote suicidal preoccupations, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
I personally agree that suicide and any other death should be reported and in my opinion in much more detail (i.e.. graphically) in order to demystify death. Fear can be a great deterrent. Our society seems to hide away from death when it is only a single phase in our eternal existence no matter how it manifests itself.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Chime, I was talking about bridgend indeed... although that's a very extreme case... I wouldn't be at all surprised if all's not how it appears there :eek:
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
There were 3,765 suicides.
1: for each reported suicide there are 5% to 25% more suicides.
2: non-fatal suicidal behaviours are 40 - 100 times greater than the number of suicides.
3: 5% of the entire population have suicidal thoughts (1,583,4600 in Canada in one year alone).
Ultimately, there are a vast vast number of people who become suicidal and who practice suicidal behaviours and yet do not complete suicide. There are many, many ways the numerous clear and recognizable warning signs are acknowledged and used as an indicator in moving towards finding help by the person in pain, and by those around them, layperson and professional alike, in each and every day.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
Some potentially high risk groups:
the elderly
those with sexual identity/gender issues
aboriginal peoples
while women attempt suicide more regularly, men follow through more
those with a mental health diagnosis
someone who is in ongoing/chronic physical pain
anyone while abusing substances
someone who has a suicide plan..the more detailed the plan, or the more immediate the means of suicide are at hand, the higher the risk (ie: planning to hang one's self or jump from a window, or bridge is a high immediate risk, as is a plan to ingest stockpiled meds on hand)
Some signs are:
giving away possessions
withdrawal from friends/family/school/work
loss of interest in hobbies
reckless behaviour
extreme behaviour changes
impulsivity
self-mutilation
lack of interest in appearance
change/loss of sexual interest
disturbed sleep
changes/loss of appetite
physical health complaints
abuse of alcohol/drugs
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
I am very sorry to hear about your loss.
I also hear what you are saying. After spending years suicidal myself, I was shocked to find that my step-sister, after numerous efforts, actually committed suicide. I was angry and blamed our family environment, as I had felt their unhealthy effects many, many times. Then, due to my own experiences, I got into suicide intervention, accumulating some fairly indepth crisis skills - ie: psychiatrists and psychologists do not have the degree of crisis training I do. Last summer, I intensified my training. It was at this time that I fully let go of my judgment and blame of those who are around a suicidal individual. It is humbling that for as much as we know about suicide, there is SO much that we don't know yet. Yet, we do continue to move along and increase our understanding and knowledge Last fall, I found out my best friend's son was acting on suicidal tendencies. She took him for help, accessed numerous resources, including the local crisis centre, psychiatric help/meds, social workers and school guidance counsellors. He ended up taking his own life anyway. So, while for many individuals there are options and ways out, and many warning signs and options are utilized, and many suicidal thoughts are not followed through on, ultimately when an individual is set on ending their life, it is their choice. And it happens with sometimes alarming regularity.
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!
oh absolutely angelica im very aware that suicidal ideation does not always lead to suicide. hence my saying, sometimes.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
When I commit suicide, I don't want it reported in the news.
What do you mean WHEN???????
My understanding is that health services are loath to report suicide statistics so as not to encourage others. I recall this being particularly bad in rural areas during the height of the drought, statistics in rural Australia are still very high and I do remember some discussion on several occassions about reports of jumpers from Melbourne's Westgate Bridge and how the authorities do not release that information so as not to encourage others to follow.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10738475
There was a heroin toll reported in the newspapers each day along with the road toll when there have been education programmes and initiatives going on or when a particularly bad batch of the drug hits our shores but I don't think that is happening at the moment, although the last time was fairly recent.
There is more media discussion about suicide statistics whenever Beyond Blue is having an initiative but in many cases suicide as a death may not be as readily assertained as perhaps a heroin overdose or a road death, so discussion is usually on statistics and trends in general and not individual cases.
A case in which a person is found dead does require a doctor to sign off on the death certificate. It would probably follow if they had any questions regarding the reason for the death this would require them to report the death to the coroner who would then take some time to investigate and rule on the cause of death. This may also effect the reporting being more instantaneous and individual.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
http://www.myspace.com/illuminatta
Rhinocerous Surprise '08!!!