Journalistic treatment of suicides and mental illnesses

Abstract

It is unusual for suicides to appear in the media and news related to mental illness is rare. But according to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one million people die by suicide annually and many more attempt suicide, registering a "global" mortality rate of 16 per 100,000 people, which is considered a high rate and an indicator of mental health status. Each suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and countries with lasting effects for those close to the suicidal person. It is a serious public health problem; however, suicide is preventable through timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. Its attention should bring together several specialists, not only those related to mental health, especially when the incidences of these diseases are on the rise due to the serious crisis the country is going through. Being a social problem, why does it appear so little in our media? Methodologically, existing literature on the journalistic treatment of suicide and mental illnesses was reviewed, and concrete cases of its journalistic treatment were analyzed in order to propose some ideas on its correct approach. It is hypothesized that awareness of these diseases can be raised and have a positive impact on their reduction only if there is more information on suicide and mental illnesses through adequate and rigorous protocols. On the other hand, silencing it harms those who suffer from this disease.