The media can prevent suicides.
Chester Bennington was the celebrity death I was most impacted by. Chester was the lead singer of Linkin Park, my favorite band as a kid, and the lead behind my favorite songs that would play over and over again on my ipod: “Numb” and “In the End.” Chester died by suicide in July of last year while I was in Japan, and the news devastated me. It’s important to report around celebrity suicide.
The Werther Effect is synonymous with the contagious effect. The Sorrows of Young Werther was the book that inspired the Werther effect, according to a post by Alexa Moody. The success of the book led to many fans of Goethe taking their own lives, despite the fact that Werther believed that suicide was the only way to get out of a love triangle.
I had grown more aware of my mental health and was worried about the media reporting. In a study published in the Archives of Suicide Research, it was found that suicides such as Robin Williams, and others, were associated with increased data on how to suicide and suicide prevention. The increase in searches following Williams’s death was attributed to the Werther Effect, a spike in suicides after a widely publicized suicide, and an increase in awareness and support for suicide prevention.
The suicide experts were worried about a domino effect. Many people believed that wealthy and successful people did not struggle with depression and anxiety like other people. Depression can affect anyone. Theresa Buhse is the associate executive director of the Long Island Crisis Center.
The Papageno effect is on the other side of the spectrum. Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” is the origin of its etymology, where a character loses his love and plans suicide as a result. The attempt was stopped last minute by three boys who told him there were alternatives to suicide and that it was a positive effect the media had on suicide.
Chester’s death was an example of the effect. Chester died on Cornell’s 53rd birthday, and Cornell died by suicide a few years earlier. Buhse notes that it could have been a coincidence and that people may plan out an emotional date.
The truth is, we never know what is going on in someone’s mind, even if they are rich and famous. Mental illness is a problem for people. Depression is a problem for people. It doesn’t matter what their income is. It does not matter how famous they are. We don’t know what’s happening.
The suicide prevention advocates want the media to avoid glamorizing suicide or making it seem like an inevitable solution for people at risk. In the case of Chester, one media source highlighted his method of suicide, which is not something that media reports should fixate on. The general population can sometimes be affected by celebrity suicides. The suicide rate increased by 12 percent when Marilyn Monroe died from probable suicide in 1962. The death of Marilyn Monroe resulted in a lot of suicide attempts. According to the New York Times, the publicity surrounding suicide has led to an increase in suicides by young people. At least five percent of youth suicides are influenced by something. People are at risk for suicide because of irresponsible media coverage.
The media irresponsibly reported on Kate Spade’s suicide two days before Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. The media has come a long way in being responsible and attentive. Schonfeld talked about the suicide of Kurt Cobain in 1994 and how experts feared a nationwide copycat effect. The number of suicides in the Seattle region decreased after the death of Kurt Cobain, as media outlets reported warning signs and provided hotline numbers.
To talk about suicide in a way that encourages people to look for help, Greenstein recommends including local and national hotline numbers, as well as other crisis resources. Not sensationalizing is one of the recommendations. Images of the method or location of death should not be included in the headline of a celebrity’s death. Photos of school, work, or family can be used instead. Conclusions.
Greenstein recommends reporting on suicide as a public health issue. It is more important to get advice from suicide prevention experts than it is to get advice from police and first responders. There are warning signs of suicide as well as a “what to do” sidebar. Greenstein suggests using words like increase and rise rather than words like “epidemic” or “skyrocketing” The field is moving away from the term “commited suicide” and more towards terms that do not stigmatize suicide as a crime, like “completed suicide,” “killed him/herself,” and “ended his/her life.”
These guidelines can be used to talk about suicide in personal circles. It’s difficult to talk about suicide in the US, but it’s the second leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34. Talking about suicide is essential.
