Mark Sinyor1, Ayal Schaffer2, Yasunori Nishikawa2, Donald A Redelmeier2, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler2, Jitender Sareen2, Anthony J Levitt2, Alex Kiss2, Jane Pirkis2. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Sinyor); Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Schaffer); Department of Psychiatry (Nishikawa), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; University of Toronto and Evaluative Clinical Sciences at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (Redelmeier), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Suicide Research Unit (Niederkrotenthaler), Vienna, Austria; Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Community Health Sciences (Sareen), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry (Levitt), University of Toronto; Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto (Kiss), Toronto, Ont.; Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and University of Melbourne (Pirkis), Melbourne, Australia mark.sinyor@sunnybrook.ca. 2. Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Sinyor); Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto (Schaffer); Department of Psychiatry (Nishikawa), Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; University of Toronto and Evaluative Clinical Sciences at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (Redelmeier), Toronto, Ont.; Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Center for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Suicide Research Unit (Niederkrotenthaler), Vienna, Austria; Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology and Community Health Sciences (Sareen), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.; Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Department of Psychiatry (Levitt), University of Toronto; Evaluative Clinical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto (Kiss), Toronto, Ont.; Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and University of Melbourne (Pirkis), Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Exposure to media reporting on suicide can lead to suicide contagion and, in some circumstances, may also lead to help-seeking behaviour. There is limited evidence for which specific characteristics of media reports mediate these phenomena. METHODS: This observational study examined associations between putatively harmful and protective elements of media reports about suicide in 13 major publications in the Toronto media market and subsequent suicide deaths in Toronto (2011-2014). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether specific article characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in suicide deaths in the 7 days after publication, compared with a control window. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2014, there were 6367 articles with suicide as the major focus and 947 suicide deaths. Elements most strongly and independently associated with increased suicides were a statement about the inevitability of suicide (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, confidence interval [CI] 1.07-3.62), about asphyxia by a method other than car exhaust (OR 1.72, CI 1.36-2.18), about suicide by jumping from a building (OR 1.70, CI 1.28-2.26) or about suicide pacts (OR 1.63, CI 1.14-2.35), or a headline that included the suicide method (OR 1.41, CI 1.07-1.86). Elements most strongly and independently associated with decreased suicides were unfavourable characteristics (negative judgments about the deceased; OR 1.85, CI 1.20-2.84), or mentions of railway (OR 1.61, CI 1.10-2.36) and cutting or stabbing (OR 1.59, CI 1.19-2.13) deaths, and individual murder-suicide (OR 1.50, CI 1.23-1.84). INTERPRETATION: This large study identified significant associations between several specific elements of media reports and suicide deaths. It suggests that reporting on suicide can have a meaningful impact on suicide deaths and that journalists and media outlets and organizations should carefully consider the specific content of reports before publication.
BACKGROUND: Exposure to media reporting on suicide can lead to suicide contagion and, in some circumstances, may also lead to help-seeking behaviour. There is limited evidence for which specific characteristics of media reports mediate these phenomena. METHODS: This observational study examined associations between putatively harmful and protective elements of media reports about suicide in 13 major publications in the Toronto media market and subsequent suicide deaths in Toronto (2011-2014). We used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether specific article characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in suicide deaths in the 7 days after publication, compared with a control window. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2014, there were 6367 articles with suicide as the major focus and 947 suicide deaths. Elements most strongly and independently associated with increased suicides were a statement about the inevitability of suicide (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, confidence interval [CI] 1.07-3.62), about asphyxia by a method other than car exhaust (OR 1.72, CI 1.36-2.18), about suicide by jumping from a building (OR 1.70, CI 1.28-2.26) or about suicide pacts (OR 1.63, CI 1.14-2.35), or a headline that included the suicide method (OR 1.41, CI 1.07-1.86). Elements most strongly and independently associated with decreased suicides were unfavourable characteristics (negative judgments about the deceased; OR 1.85, CI 1.20-2.84), or mentions of railway (OR 1.61, CI 1.10-2.36) and cutting or stabbing (OR 1.59, CI 1.19-2.13) deaths, and individual murder-suicide (OR 1.50, CI 1.23-1.84). INTERPRETATION: This large study identified significant associations between several specific elements of media reports and suicide deaths. It suggests that reporting on suicide can have a meaningful impact on suicide deaths and that journalists and media outlets and organizations should carefully consider the specific content of reports before publication.
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Authors: Thomas Niederkrotenthaler; Marlies Braun; Jane Pirkis; Benedikt Till; Steven Stack; Mark Sinyor; Ulrich S Tran; Martin Voracek; Qijin Cheng; Florian Arendt; Sebastian Scherr; Paul S F Yip; Matthew J Spittal Journal: BMJ Date: 2020-03-18
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