Dear Editor
I READ online that in northern Sri Lanka in 1980, two young girls committed suicide by eating Yellow Oleander seeds. Yellow Oleander is a common ornamental shrub that grows in most parts of the tropics and is cultivated across Sri Lanka in gardens and hedges. In 1981 there were over 20 cases of oleander poisoning, apparently motivated by the publicity of the first two suicides of that nature. In 1982, there were over 46 cases.In the following years, there were hundreds of cases. After yellow oleander became linked with suicide in Sri Lanka, the number of suicides has climbed at steady rates and health services across the island have been overwhelmed by new cases. And this is not even counting attempted suicides.
Such spikes in the emulation of suicides after a widely publicised suicide are caused by what is known as the Werther effect.
According to David Meyers in his book titled, “Social Psychology,” one of the earliest known associations between the media and suicide arose from Goethe’s novel “Die Leiden des jungen Werthers” (“The Sorrows of Young Werther”). Soon after the novel’s publication in 1774, young men began to mimic the main character by dressing in yellow pants and blue jackets. In the novel, Werther shoots himself with a pistol after he is rejected by the woman he loves, and shortly after its publication, there were many reports of young men using the same method to kill themselves in acts of hopelessness.
Since then, there have been many more reasons to link media reports of suicide with increased suicide rates. And many studies have confirmed that there is indeed a link, and that there is such a thing as copycat suicides. The WHO release titled, “Preventing Suicide: A resource for media professionals” speaks to the idea of imitation of suicides thus-:
“Over 50 investigations into imitative suicides have been conducted. Systematic reviews of these studies have consistently drawn the same conclusion: media reporting of suicide can lead to imitative suicidal behaviours. These reviews have also observed that imitation is more evident under some circumstances than others. It varies as a function of time, peaking within the first three days and levelling off by about two weeks, but sometimes lasting longer. It is related to the level and prominence of coverage, with repeated coverage and ‘high impact’ stories being most strongly associated with imitative behaviours. It is accentuated when the person described in the story and the reader or viewer are similar in some way, or when the person described in the story is a celebrity and is held in high regard by the reader or viewer. Particular subgroups in the population (e.g., young people, people suffering from depression) may be especially vulnerable to engaging in imitative suicidal behaviours. Finally, and probably most importantly, overt description of suicide by a particular method may lead to increases in suicidal behaviour employing that method.”
Today, there is no question as to whether media reports of suicide cause increased suicide rates. Across the world, where suicide rates are lower, the one major method used to prevent suicides is controlled and responsible suicide reporting. In just about every country, media guidelines are strict. For example, in the United States, a set of “Recommendations for reporting on suicide” put together and developed by a long list of entities engaged in suicide prevention and suicide research prominently reads thus, “More than 50 research studies worldwide have found that certain types of news coverage can increase the likelihood of suicide in vulnerable individuals. The magnitude of the increase is related to the amount, duration and prominence of coverage.
“Risk of additional suicides increases when the story explicitly describes the suicide method, uses dramatic/ graphic headlines or images, and repeated/extensive coverage sensationalises or glamorises a death. Covering suicide carefully, even briefly, can change public misperceptions and correct myths, which can encourage those who are vulnerable or at risk to seek help.”
In Australia, the media guidelines are clear. While the standards encourage general reporting and comment on issues relating to suicide on account of their ability to help improve understanding of causes and warning signs, and to deter people contemplating suicide, they also advise that – “In deciding whether to report an individual instance of suicide, consideration should be given to whether at least one of the following criteria is satisfied: (a) reporting the death as suicide is clearly in the public interest (see note 2); or (b) clear and informed consent has been provided by appropriate relatives or close friends (see note 3); or (c) no appropriate authority (such as the police, a school principal or public health authority) has requested that the report be withheld or delayed to avoid a high risk of inducing further suicides.”
They also say that:”In deciding whether also to report the identity of the person who has died by suicide, account should be taken of whether at least one of the following criteria is satisfied: (a) identification is clearly in the public interest; or (b) clear and informed consent has been provided by appropriate relatives or close friends.” And further that – “The method and location of a suicide should not be described in detail (eg, a particular drug or cliff), unless the public interest in doing so clearly outweighs the risk, if any, of causing further suicides. This applies especially to methods or locations which may not be well known by people contemplating suicide.”
Most of the recommendations coming from the WHO include practices that have been encoded in guidelines in most countries across the globe. The recommendations include: “Taking the opportunity to educate the public about suicide; avoiding language which sensationalises or normalises suicide or presents it as a solution to problems; avoiding prominent placement and undue repetition of stories about suicide; avoiding explicit description of the method used in a completed or attempted suicide; avoiding providing detailed information about the site of a completed or attempted suicide; wording headlines carefully; exercising caution in using photographs or video footage; taking particular care in reporting celebrity suicides; showing due consideration for people bereaved by suicide; providing information about where to seek help; and recognising that media professionals themselves may be affected by stories about suicide.”
Almost every country in the world has provided guidelines for media that cover such topics as suicide reporting. But locally the only guidelines that exist are with respect to elections reporting. No part of the WHO recommendations has been locally encoded in any form.
Yet, according to the 2014 World Health Organisation report, the suicide rate in Guyana is five times higher than the world average. This puts Guyana at the top of the list with 44.2 per 100,000 people, the highest suicide rate in the world. And, again, this does not even take into account the number of suicide attempts recorded, and unrecorded. It is estimated that there are between 1,500 to 2,000 attempted suicide cases each year, or about one attempt every five hours, in Guyana. This is depressing news, especially for people who are already depressed in Guyana.
And Guyana has a high percentage of depressed people. But while it is important to fight to reduce depression, in and of itself, it is also important, at the same time, to make every effort to not render depressed persons, especially suicidal persons, more depressed, and more suicidal, with news of suicide. Especially news which not only details the names of the deceased persons and their appearances, but also give information about what method was used to effectively commit the suicide.
Guyana is small, and just as a family history of suicide leads to more suicides, suicide in such a small community will likely lead to more suicides, especially where the circumstances that each person in the community faces is practically equal and uniform. That is, unless the news of each suicide is reported in a controlled and responsible manner.
But that is exactly what is NOT happening in Guyana. Up to very recently, almost each day when Guyanese open the local newspapers, they are bombarded with news that someone from their own community facing circumstances and hardships very similar to theirs, is dead as a result of suicide. And further, they get a good idea from the reports, in pictures if not in words, as to the methods used to commit the act. Up to recently, again, attempts to convince media operatives in Guyana to desist from their present practices through workshops on the topic have proven futile. News of suicides seems to boost viewership and ratings for news entities generally and this does not exactly deter their irresponsible behaviour. In fact, it can be argued that it seems that media operatives in Guyana are aiming to do the opposite of that for which the WHO recommendations aim.
Recently, after much effort on the part of many, the media outlets have significantly reduced their reporting of suicides. But there is nothing at present stopping any one media outlet from going back to business as usual. Almost every country in the world has media guidelines and opted not to introduce legislation to curb the issue of irresponsible suicide reporting.
But in those countries, the media guidelines are strict and the media entities comply with them fully. Only in New Zealand has there been a move to legislate on this matter.
There, the Coroner’s Act has been amended to block the reporting of deaths as suicides until the Coroner deems the death to be a suicide. This seems to be not only a sensible approach, but from a legal perspective, it helps investigations into all deaths before a general errant conclusion can be had that it was a suicide. At one point in time, the Act went so far as to even block reports of “suspected suicides.” As the law stands in that country at the moment however, a death may be reported as a “suspected suicide,” provided that the report follows the usual guidelines.
It goes without saying that Guyana, having the highest suicide rate in the world, would be better off blocking both reports of suicide AND suspected suicide. Some arguments in favour of local legislative intervention include – 1. Guyana has the highest suicide rate in the world and risking any other form of intervention would be ineffective and deadly.
2. Media guidelines do not dictate to journalists what to do. Rather, they aim to empower and encourage journalists to collaborate with researchers and public health policy makers to help save lives by reporting in a responsible manner. They further do not guide the actions of non-media entities that may wish to report a suicide. Hence they would not suffice.
3. Many workshops have been held with media entities in Guyana regarding suicide reporting in particular, much to no avail.
4. There is no harm in using legislation to tackle this great issue in Guyana and in fact, there is indeed precedence elsewhere for legislative intervention.
5. Guyana would be the first country to pass a Suicide Reporting Act to effectively save the lives of its citizens in a dire situation.
Many countries have indeed managed to reduce their suicide rates without statutory restrictions on media. But they have strict media guidelines on the issue and their suicide rates are not the highest in the world. Guyana cannot afford to risk a less strict approach. Some may argue that reducing the dialogue about suicide may have a negative effect on how we learn more about its other causes and how we work to prevent those causes. But legislative intervention does not aim to curtail all talks about suicide and suicide prevention. It is specifically aimed at fighting irresponsible reporting. Debates will still be encouraged about suicide, but will be restricted from involving mention of details of individual suicides. It is in these premises I propose that a Bill be drafted and introduced to the Parliament to curtail the reporting of deaths as suicides or suspected suicides, whether by media entities or members of the public, before the Coroner deems the death to be a suicide. The Bill will also guide reports of deaths, whether emanating from media entities or members of the public, so that they do not reflect even the suspicion that a death may have been a suicide, before the Coroner deems the death to be a possible suicide.
The Bill should further guide the reports of deaths properly deemed suicides, so that they do not give rise to further suicides. I am positive that with a Bill we can better guarantee the safety of our citizens from this plague that has gripped us for so long. I charge those who have the power to pass a Bill of this nature to do so at the earliest.
Regards
John M. Fraser LL.B.
Legal Assistant
Legislative Drafting Division
Attorney General’s Chambers