Experts caution media on suicide coverage, urge responsible reporting

Srinagar, May 5: Mental health professionals in Kashmir have expressed anguish over the manner in which suicides are being reported in the media, warning that irresponsible and unethical coverage does more harm and leads to more suicides. Stakes are high especially during exam and result reason, they say while stressing on reporting that leads to better lives. According to National Crime Records Bureau, in 2022, J&K recorded 497 cases of attempted suicides, the highest among all states and UTs. The report also indicated 31 percent rise in the attempted suicides compared to the previous data year. J&K accounted for 30 percent of all attempted suicides in India, a figure that is not just concerning, but a shocking one. India recorded 2.5 lakh suicide-related deaths in 2022, according to The Lancet. J&K accounts for nearly 2.5 percent of suicides in India.

Although suicide prevention is a multi-faceted and multi-agency goal, mental health experts feel that media has a role to play. They are calling for urgent adherence to ethical reporting guidelines to prevent further loss of life. “Suicide is a preventable public health issue, not a spectacle,” said Dr Manzoor A Dar, HoD Department of Psychiatry GMC Srinagar. He said the way the media covers stories of victims can "either save a life or endanger another". “We need to choose wisely,” he added.

With the proliferation of social media channels that have unsuspecting people glued to them, the dangers are even more profound, believes Dr Arshid Hussain, professor of psychiatry at GMC Srinagar. “Let us adhere to guidelines that have been formulated with thousands of cases under consideration and by hundreds of experts,” he said. He said there are over 100 global studies that have confirmed a direct link between how suicides are portrayed in the media and subsequent suicides. “This is particularly more important when the deceased is a public figure or when detailed methods and locations are reported,” he said, adding that vulnerable individuals, especially the youth, are at a higher risk of imitative behaviour. Doctors believe that repeated and dramatic reporting is a trigger for those already struggling with mental health and coping methods. “When the media shows, talks about, graphically depicts a suicide method, it unwittingly offering a blueprint,” Dr Dar said.