The psychology behind reporting on suicides
Jordan Webber knows the inner workings of the mind more than most — he has a master's degree in psychology.
Still, the 30-year-old Fort Collins man has struggled with thoughts of suicide extensively, even detailing one suicide attempt and sharing it with the community last year. He's keenly aware of what sharing his struggles can mean to both himself and others in crisis.
Recently, he said he "was amazed by the sense of relief that came after sharing."
Webber knows all about concerns of so-called "suicide contagion" or "copycat suicides" spurred by pop culture references to and media reports on death by suicide.
"I can say that (media) have served as reminders that, in difficult times, suicide is a possibility," he wrote in a recent email. "In especially trying times, I actively seek out these forms of media, whether it is movies, music, or literature, for though these forms of media are a reminder of suicide; they also serve to remind me that I am not alone in feeling this way."
ALSO:
Marmaduke:Why it's so hard to talk about suicide
Novey:Thank you for sharing your experiences with suicide
Gustus:We cannot afford to be silent on suicide
Recommendations for media organizations' coverage of suicide have evolved over time, as have journalistic codes of ethics. The Coloradoan, like most agencies, works to strike the balance of minimizing harm while keeping the community informed — a sensitive struggle on the topic of suicide.
Once a hush-hush topic, rarely publicized by the media, coverage of suicide still stands at a crossroads created by the evolution of more robust social and psychological science and an explosion of Internet communication, researchers say. Rather than operating on either end of the spectrum — silence or complete openness — research supports the benefits of cautious news reporting and responsible talk about suicide, especially as new technology gives Internet users increasing exposure to media that might subject at-risk groups to potential contagion.
"The media itself has changed," Dr. Dave Luxton told the Coloradoan in a telephone interview. Luxton is an affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and chief science officer at NowMattersNow.org, an online organization working to equip people in crisis with coping techniques.
"There are new forms of media that can and most definitely create a higher risk of exposure of suicide-related content that could facilitate the media contagion," he said.
But the science is far from settled on the matter.
Nearly three decades ago, the Coloradoan wrote short stories documenting individuals' deaths by suicide — the topic in the media was talked about in a more cavalier manner nationwide. Back then, there were roughly 20 articles on individual suicides published per year in Larimer County. Illustrative of the changing times, Larimer County saw 81 deaths by suicide in 2015, continuing a troubling spike in raw numbers and population-adjusted rates.
Investigations into the Werther Effect — named after an 18th century character in a novel who shoots himself with a pistol, spawning numerous reports of people mimicking his death — rekindled 200 years later in academic circles. A researcher in 1974 named the phenomena, and investigations into copycat suicides have flourished ever since, populating academic journals and making headlines routinely after high-profile celebrity suicides.
The conversations surrounding Kurt Cobain in 1994 and, more recently, Robin Williams in 2014 pop up most frequently in the discussions.
At-risk individuals and young people are most affected by suicide contagion, experts say. Some studies have quantified the number of media reports involving suicide. Others monitored front-page articles or publicity surrounding celebrity suicides. While research has linked nonfictional media to suicide contagion, the link between fictional reports in movies or novels remains more fuzzy, wrote Madelyn S. Gould in a journal article for the New York Academy of Sciences. Gould is a suicide prevention expert at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
"Overall, the evidence to date suggests that suicide contagion is a real effect," Gould wrote. "... Evidence of imitation should not negate the role of individual susceptibility and stresses in suicide. Nevertheless, it is crucial for mental and public health professionals and the media to develop a partnership to enhance the effectiveness of the reporting of suicide, while minimizing the risk of imitative suicides. The media’s power to educate the public in an appropriate fashion and change attitudes toward suicide needs to be underscored."
That's why individual cases are seldom reported and are instead compiled in year-end aggregates.
A study in Vienna about train-related suicides found after a set of media guidelines were developed that advised against dramatic stories on the topic, deaths dropped substantially.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes the potential benefits when suicide is covered as a thematic public health issue involving mental illness rather than an episodic incident akin to crime reporting. And leading suicide research think tanks and academics have worked to compile numerous suggestions for reporting at www.reportingonsuicide.org.
Yet new problems have taken hold in the realm of Internet communities. Suicide notes on Facebook that go viral, YouTube videos capturing suicide attempts and anonymous cyber-bullying through social media have exacerbated the issue.
These arenas are unregulated and might not be guided by public health-oriented principles, all the while knocking down geographic barriers and allowing for the emergence of pro-suicide behavior, Luxton wrote in a 2012 article published in the American Journal of Public Health. That's especially problematic among the population suicide contagion is most likely to affect: young people who might already have risk factors such as depression, substance abuse or mental illness.
It's come full circle for Webber, who has come to terms with the inner battles that pushed him to the edge. Now he's hopeful people can get beyond those blanket terms and blind understandings about complicated issues — such as suicide contagion — that don't help anyone.
"...we all must face both our own mortality, and the thoughts of one day losing someone we love in one of the most heartbreaking of ways," Webber said. "But nothing worth doing is ever easy, and no crisis has ever been resolved in silence."
Remembering those we lost in Larimer County
GET HELP
If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Suicide Hotline, 800-273-TALK (8255). If you need immediate assistance in Larimer County, call SummitStone Health Partners, 970-494-4200. A 24/7 mental health crisis center is now open in Fort Collins at 1217 Riverside Ave.
If you have lost someone to suicide, learn more about support groups and resources available to you by visiting allianceforsuicideprevention.org.
Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news and public safety issues for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.