A NUMBER of civil society organisations have called on the media to be “careful and responsible” when reporting on suicides.The Guyana Equality Forum and collaborating partners, Global Shapers Community – Georgetown Hub; Prevention of Teenage Suicide (POTS) – Guyana; and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), in a statement, said: “Media coverage should be done in a manner that is responsible and supports the national effort to curb suicide in Guyana.”

The organsiations recognise that the rise in cases of suicide and attempted suicide has propelled the issue of the state of mental health in Guyana to the forefront of public discourse. The media has been steadfast in its coverage of this issue, “and must be commended for keeping the issue prominent in an effort to find solutions.”

The groups pointed out that, in the reporting of suicide stories, the age, means, identity, suspected reasons and other factors are expressed in detail in reports published by the local media. Added to this, the use of sensational headlines and the fanfare of media broadcast on suicide as “breaking news” provide unintended glorification of these acts to persons who are already contemplating suicide, the groups noted.

“Not only is such reporting irresponsible, but it can contribute to the phenomenon known as ‘Copycat Suicides.’ Anecdotal evidence suggests that this may also be happening in Guyana,” the NGOs declared.

The Guyana Foundation, which the groups say is the leading civil society organisation working on mental health locally, cited overwhelming evidence from over fifty international studies which indicate that media reports about suicide have been associated with an increased rate of suicide and suicide attempts where the reporting: (1) Explicitly details the suicide method and location (2)Is prominent, repeated, and uses dramatic/graphic headlines or images, and (3) Sensationalizes or glamorizes the death.

The groups quoted Caitlin Vieira, Psychologist and Addiction Specialist at the Georgetown Public Hospital, as saying that people sometimes do not even know how to complete suicide, but that because of news pictures or clips of the methods used and unnecessary details of the means, or substances and amounts used, persons contemplating suicide are exposed to information which does not help them.

The groups said that persons struggling with suicidal ideation are oftentimes suffering from depression, which carries a high risk of suicide. They also quoted CUSO’s Mental Health Researcher Abdel Fudadin, who posited that the media broadcasts the identities and reasons for suicide, “showing little consideration for the affected families and communities.”
Fudadin said this places those suffering in the national spotlight during the grieving process, and they are often stigmatised and blamed by the public for not doing enough, or for being the cause.

The Guyana Equality Forum, Global Shapers Community-Georgetown Hub, POTS – Guyana, and SASOD endorse the following guidelines by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for suicide reporting:
* Take the opportunity to educate the public about suicide;
* Avoid language which sensationalizes or normalizes suicide, or presents it as a solution to problems;
* Avoid prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide;
* Avoid explicit description of the method used in a completed or attempted suicide;
* Avoid providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide;
* Word headlines carefully;
* Exercise caution in using photographs or video footage;
* Take particular care in reporting celebrity suicides;
* Show due consideration for people bereaved by suicide;
* Provide information about where to seek help; and
* Recognize that media professionals themselves may be affected by stories about suicide.

The groups believe that the local media can be a strong partner in the fight to prevent suicide, and combat mental illness in Guyana by implementing the WHO guidelines on suicide reporting.