A tough call

Altho the topic is a bit distressing I found that the insights presented interesting. Written by a Canadian journalist I would think that the same holds true here in the US if not world wide to some degree.

Should the media report non-celebrity suicides?

IMHO that's a tough call to make. Would I really want the world to know that I "offed" myself. Would anyone outside my personal circle of family and friends care? There is a stigma surrounding mental illness, I deal with it everyday. Up until last year [almost to the day] I would have said--NO. Now, not so much. Since my last attempt, which landed me in the hospital for 4 days, I have been able to use it as a learning tool to talk to others. Not only has it helped me gain insight, but it has allowed me to talk to others, it has put a face on mental illness that people can relate too.

Therein lays the dilemma, the media does not always put a human face on the toll that suicide takes on the human psyche. The personal story gets lost in the sensationalism, especially in regards to celebrity suicides. [Kurt Cobain being one that comes to mind.) IMHO one must look beyond the headlines, and find the true story behind the captions. It has to become a tool for learning and not a grab for readership (especially when the young are involved).

On a side note: Two good books dealing with the effects of mental illness An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison. In the books Jamison tells of her own manic depression, the bitter costs of her illness, and its paradoxical benefits. Jamison is both a psychiatric expert in manic depression and a sufferer of the disease. A second book, His Bright Light: The Story of Nick Traina by Danielle Steel. [Yes it is that Danielle Steele.] This book is a real eye opener to those of us that have no way of understanding or dealing with this disease. A poignant account of the life and death of her son.


Suicide Notes :: Ryerson Review of Journalism :: The Ryerson School of Journalism