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Suicide and the Media
Sensitivity must be used when the media reports on teen suicides. Sounds obvious, but it doesn’t always happen. And when it doesn’t, you often find copycat attempts in the wake of a teen suicide. How does it happen? Impulsive teenagers are more prone to suicide. Studies have shown that this, combined with a glamorized account of the details and the nature of the suicide – the method used, and other titillating information – can cause a spike in teen suicide in the local area. And, when a famous person commits suicide, teen suicide rises on a national level.
Teens often romanticize adventure and living on the edge. According to Pamela Cantor, president of the National Committee for the Prevention of Youth Suicide, this can be a deadly combination when faced with a suicide. Cantor says, “Kids see that this is a glamorous way to die, a way to get a lot of attention that they couldn’t get in life.” In an interview, Loren Coleman, author of The Copycat Effect, said, “When the media comes in and does a graphic depiction of it – it doesn’t work to scare kids away.” He notes that teens even create a fantasy of what their funeral will look like. They imagine flying over their funeral and seeing how much they are missed.
In 2005, one young person in the United States committed suicide every two hours. That’s approximately 4,500 teen suicides! Of those, 100 to 200 teens died in clusters. In many cases, the additional victims were friends of the teen or identified strongly with something about his story reported in the news.
In Plano, Texas, where one of the first reported clusters occurred 25 years ago, a teen’s suicide was tragically followed by eight more teen deaths, mostly using the same method. Similarly, when a popular teenager in Bergenfield, New Jersey, ended his life in 1987, several of his friends killed themselves six months later. This was followed by two additional suicide attempts using a similar method. And, when the cluster was studied more carefully, an additional four teen deaths were linked to this first suicide.
Copycat and cluster suicides are played out on a national level when a famous person commits suicide. Media coverage of the event is nonstop, which often leads to more tragedy. For example, according to the New York Magazine article “A Dying Trend,” when Marilyn Monroe took her life in August 1962, the suicide rate in the following month rose by 12 percent, which was an additional 197 suicides.
This phenomenon is not limited to the United States. In 1986 in Tokyo, Japan, 18-year-old Okada Yukiko, a popular Japanese singer, took her life. Her widely reported death resulted in a staggering 31 teen suicides in the following two weeks, a phenomenon that the mass media in Japan called “the Yukko syndrome.”
So what can be done? Research has shown that the way the media handles the reporting of suicides can be critical in reducing copycats and clusters. A study was conducted in Vienna. Between 1984 and 1987, there were a large number of suicides by people who jumped in front of trains. The media coverage was overly dramatic and graphic. A campaign urging the media to change its coverage of these tragedies resulted in an 80 percent decrease in incidents of this type of suicide.
According to the Suicide and Mental Health Association International’s report on Suicide Contagion, the media should not sensationalize the event or glamorize the victim or act. Describing the method used should also be kept to a minimum. Another important step the media can take is to focus on the mental health aspects of the suicide. Just saying that the victim was “stressed” or “under pressure” makes it too easy for other teenagers to identify with the victim. Those who commit suicide often have long-standing mental health issues that are often ignored in the media coverage, which is a huge mistake.
Teenagers need to see that they are not “just like” the teen who committed suicide. Suicide is caused by many factors; it is not acceptable for the media to be one of them.
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This article has 224 comments.
ur awsome
Some people have a physical disease that sets them in that suicidal frame of mind. It doesn't have to do with their life. They can have everything in the world, but still be captured by dangerous thoughts.
"the world isn't good enough for me." isn't how people think. Its "I am not good enough for the world." Thats when they end their life.
Think about it.
Suicide is somehting not to take lightly. You can never understand why someone would want to hurt themselves or try to kill themselves unless you put yourself into their shoes.
Even if it is a stupid. My best friend wanted to kill herself because a lot of reasons one being that her boyfriend was an a** and he was extremely upset that she was cutting herself (she cut because of reasons involving unwanted sexual activities which is extremely tragic for a 15 year old to go through).
So he said that he was going to kill himself cause he's a moron. Yeahhh.
A few months ago a guy at my school commited suicide ... And my cousin tryed to too ... It doesnt matter if the attempt is made or if its done ... Its wrong - I once was so mad I took a knife and sliced my arm-After I did it - I looked at my arm and just broke down and started crying - I couldn't believe I had done that. The situation was stupid ... I couldnt believe - I was doing something like that to myself. I have a scar to this day - people ask what its from and I cover it up and say I cut myself in art with a blade. when I was carving . Only a few people know what really happened that day when I was locked in my bedroom .I tell people who really need to know - people who are cutting -dont believe me ... but I guess thats what you get for lying . It wasnt for attention - It was the last thing I wanted anyone knowing - I had disgraced myself ... I was sick with myself - I mean me - Student Peer, Student Council , Drama Club, Art Club,homecoming committe, the loudest cheerer in the stands had sunken that low - and it was dumb ... i mean thats not offesive but hey ... Its how I felt ... And people are saying people make up stuff that happened in there life - yeah sure maybe two faced phscho paths would make that kinda crap up ! BAD THINGS DO HAPPEN - This is the real world ... People get rapped,pregnat,molested, and really badly bulled. I once got laughed at because my hair -( th bump was to low - How Fracking lame is that ! ) People are dumb and people need to understand that untill you have walked a lifetime in someone else shoes you can t know how they feel, what they were feeling at that moment . And for people who still dont understand because you cabnt relate heres some more to think about - Guys or Kick a$$ girls - you know when someone makes fun of you or a friend or family member you get up and beat the crap out of them ... thats a reaction. Some people Write when there upset thats there reaction...or when you mess up on something you cry - you dont care who sees cause you know someone will comfort you - what if noone EVER comfroted you ? Some people dont take a chance ... I mean how much crap can you stand ? You have to find your way to lat it go ... yeah cutting and Suicde suck and are horrible ways to deal with your stress/grief/depression ... or whatever - some people dont know till they try -yeah - sounds dumb buts its true ... So instead of complainig about if its okay to do it why dont you spread the word that it sucks ...and people who have dealt with this - spread your story - cause your story could save someones life - If they see how you got over your situation -thay could maybe change there mind about theres ... =)
SORRY - I sound so LAME !
haha - O - well ...
o yeah my story ...
My BF - was cheating , I felt I couldnt do anything right for my mother, my best friend was dating my brother, my brother rapped my sister, and My Mentally retareded brother just got checked into a Phscyh ward ... my life sucked ... but I lived - you can too ...
Things to think about before you make a mistake ... (Copping Skills)
1. Remeber all the good things in life
2. Think of family ... expecially younger siblings, nieces and nephews - what kind of example are you setting for them ?
3. Your Parents - it hurts when something or someone gets taken from you - imagine how they would feel if they knew you purposlly hurt yourself - the guilt could cause them to do something bad ...
4. Friends - I know all my friends would probally commit suicde or cut if I died ... I probally would have done the same for them - but I realize thats not what they want ... or whatever ...
haha - too long - great piece - lots of debate - I luv debate ... It was good -the facts were scary ...
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