Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
National Press Foundation
Training Journalists on the Complexities of Mental Health
September 2016

Alex E. Crosby
Division of Violence Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
"The findings and conclusions in this report are those of
the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official
position of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention/the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Division of Violence Prevention/Etiology and Surveillance Branch

Why is suicidal behavior a

public health issue?
Morbidity and mortality

10th leading cause of death in 2014 accounted for 42,773 deaths

Estimated 494,169 emergency dept visits for self-inflicted injury in
2013 (NEISS)
Health consequences in many areas

Physical, mental, behavioral, reproductive, sexual transmitted

diseases

Potential for impact by public health

Focus on prevention
Science base
Stresses multi-disciplinary approach

Mission of public health includes this issue

to reduce the amount of disease, premature death, and diseaseproducing
discomfort and disability in the population.
J. Last, Dictionary of Epidemiology 1988

Rank

Leading causes of death for

selected age groups United
States, 2014

10-14 years

15-19 years

20-29 years

30-39 years

40-49 years

50-59 years

Unintentional
Injuries

Unintentional
Injuries

Unintentional
Injuries

Unintentional
Injuries

Malignant
Neoplasms

Malignant
Neoplasms

Suicide

Suicide

Suicide

Suicide

Heart
Disease

Heart
Disease

Malignant
Neoplasms

Homicide

Homicide

Malignant
Neoplasms

Unintentional
Injuries

Unintentional
Injuries

Congenital
Malformations

Malignant
Neoplasms

Malignant
Neoplasms

Heart
Disease

Suicide

Liver
Disease

Homicide

Heart
Disease

Heart
Disease

Homicide

Liver
Disease

Chronic
Lower
Respiratory Ds

Heart
Disease

Congenital
Malformation
s

Congenital
Malformation
s

Liver Disease

Diabetes
Mellitus

Diabetes
Mellitus

Chronic
Lower
Respiratory Ds

Influenza and
Pneumonia

Diabetes
Mellitus

Diabetes
Mellitus

CerebroVascular

Suicide

CerebroVascular

CerebroVascular

Influenza
and
Pneumonia

CerebroVascular

Homicide

CerebroVascular

Source: CDC vital statistics

Suicide among all persons

by sex -- United States,
1933-2014

Source: CDC vital

statistics

Suicide rates among persons aged

15-19 years -- United States, 19562014
Male
Total

Female

Source: CDC vital statistics

Suicide rates among all

persons by age and sex-United States, 2014

Source: CDC vital

statistics

Suicides and suicide rates

among all persons -- United
States, 2014

Source: CDC vital statistics

Suicide by method United

States, 2014

Source: CDC vital statistics

Age-adjusted suicide rates among all persons by state -United States, 2014 (U.S. avg 13.0)

DC

Source: CDC vital statistics

Rate per 100,000

7.7-10.5
10.6-13.0
13.1-16.9
17.023.8

Suicide rates by ethnicity and age

group -- United States, 2010-2014

Source: CDC Vital

Burden of injury
Deaths
Hospitalizations
Emergency Dept visits

Events reported on surveys

Unreported events

Number and ratio of persons affected by suicidal

thoughts and behavior among adults aged 18
years United States, 2013

39,894 (1)
118,740 (3.0)
405,300 (10.2)

1,312,000 (32.9)

9,292,000 (232.9)

Deaths*
Hospitalizations
Emergency Department visits
Suicide attempts
Seriously considered suicide**

*Source: CDCs National Vital Statistics System,

Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Qualitys Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project - Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS)

Source: Source: CDCs National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program

Source: SAMHSAs National Survey on Drug Use and Health

** Source: SAMHSAs National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Number in parentheses represent the ratio of deaths to other categories

Self-inflicted injury among all

persons by age and sex--United
States, 2013

Source: CDC WISQARS NEISS

Self-inflicted injury among all

persons by age and sex--United
States, 2014

Source: CDC WISQARS NEISS

Suicidal ideation and behavior

among high school students by
category and sex* -- United States,
2015

Source: CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey

* During the 12 months preceding the survey
^One or more times

Percentage of high school students

who report suicidal behavior* by
sex U.S., 1990-2015
Female
Total

Male

Source: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

*At least one attempt during the 12 months preceding the survey

Suicidal behavior*^ among high

school students by sexual identity#
-- New York City, 2001-2009

* During the 12 months before the survey.

^ One or more times.
# Among students who ever had sexual contact.
Source: New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results

Resources and internetbased Statistics

National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control
Division of Violence Prevention
www.cdc.gov/ncipc
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/default.ht
m
Injury mortality and leading cause of
death statistics available by:
Intent, Method
Year
State
Demographics
Age, Sex, Race
Injury morbidity
Hospital emergency dept events
Natl Violent Death reporting System

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide

Science Behind Contagion

Mass Media Imitation
Werther effect refers to Goethes novel The Sorrows
of Young Werther (1774), where a young man takes
his life (contributing to supposedly 2,000 copycat
suicides)
Papageno effect refers to Mozarts opera
The Magic Flute (1791), where a young man
in love becomes suicidal, but copes well
thanks to his friends intervention

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
>50 research studies worldwide have found
that certain types of news coverage can
increase the likelihood of suicide in vulnerable
individuals.
Risk increases when the story explicitly
describes the method, uses graphic headlines
or images, and repeated coverage glamorizes
the death
Covering suicide carefully can correct myths,
which can encourage those who are vulnerable
to seek help.

Suicides in the Vienna subway

system 1980-1990
Implement
media
guidelines

Source: Sonneck G, Etzersdorfer E, Nagel-Kuess S.

Imitative suicide on the Viennese subway. Soc
Sci Med 1994; 38:453457.

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
Dont dictate to journalists what to do
Aim to empower and encourage journalists
to collaborate with researchers and public
health policy makers to help save lives by
reporting in a responsible manner

Source: Recommendations for reporting on suicide:

www.reportingonsuicide.org

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
Suicide research suggests that certain types
of media reporting may trigger further
suicidal behaviors among vulnerable people
Prominent media stories about suicide are
associated with a significant increase in
suicide attempts within the media outlet's
coverage area
Adolescents and young adults seem to be
especially susceptible to suicide contagion
Source: Recommendations for reporting on suicide:
www.reportingonsuicide.org

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
Media reports about suicide should include
Potential warning signs
Information on community resources (such as
Crisis Hotline)
Information about recent advances in suicide
prevention
Interview with knowledgeable expert on topic
Emphasize activities that communities can take in
prevention especially ongoing local efforts

Information may be useful for those who

may be suicidal or who know people who are
Source: Recommendations for reporting on suicide:
www.reportingonsuicide.org

Media recommendations for

reporting on suicide
Types of news reports have an effect of
increasing suicidal behavior:
Simplifying the reasons for the suicide
Engaging in repetitive, ongoing, or excessive reporting of
suicide in the news
Providing sensational coverage of suicide
Reporting "how-to" description of suicide
Presenting suicide as a tool for accomplishing certain ends
Glorifying suicide or persons who commit suicide
Focusing on the suicide completers positive characteristics
Source: Recommendations for reporting on suicide:
www.reportingonsuicide.org

Thank you
www.cdc.gov/injury; 770-488-4410

For more information please contact Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333
Telephone, 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)/TTY: 1-888-232-6348
E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Web: www.cdc.gov

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily
represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Division of Violence Prevention