Media reports of celebrity suicide linked to increased suicide rates

In a recent international study on media reporting of suicide, researchers have found that media reports of celebrity suicide deaths is associated with increases in suicide in the general population.

The study has been published in the BMJ.

Dr. Mark Sinyor, psychiatrist and study co-author, is part of the international team that noted in the study, “The best available intervention at the population level to deal with the harmful effects of media reports is guidelines for responsible reporting.”

Dr. Sinyor is the lead author of the latest update of the Media Guidelines for Reporting on Suicide to assist the media with safer reporting of suicide events or the topic of suicide.

“This is the first study, based on a comprehensive search strategy and accounting for qualitative differences across studies, that allows us to demonstrate the effects of reporting on celebrity suicides,” explains Dr. Thomas Niederkrotenthaler from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria

“The most important thing for people to know is that the overwhelming majority of people who contemplate suicide do not go one to die and that includes celebrities,” says Sinyor. “A number of strategies can help to alleviate suffering and to lower suicide risk. These include crisis planning, talk therapy, and, in some cases medication and/or brain stimulation techniques, which can help target specific pathways in the brain to potentially alleviate symptoms. If people are struggling, they should reach out because there is help and there is hope.”

Read the BMJ press release about the study.

If you need help in an emergency, please call 911 or visit your local emergency department. If you feel like you are in crisis or need somebody to talk to, community resources are here to help 24/7:

• Crisis Services Canada
• Phone: toll-free 1-833-456-4566
• Text: 45645 (Available 4pm – Midnight ET)

Quick guide: recommendations for responsible media reporting on suicide events »