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2 Metal Illess & Suicide i the Media A Midframe Resource for Police

3 c) Commowealth of Australia ISBN Olie ISBN This work is copyright. Apart from ay use as permitted uder the Copyright Act 1968, o part may be reproduced by ay process without prior writte permissio from the Commowealth. Requests ad equiries cocerig reproductio ad rights should be addressed to the Commowealth Copyright Admiistratio, Attorey Geeral s Departmet, Robert Garra Offices, Natioal Circuit, Barto ACT 2600 or posted at The opiios expressed i this documet are those of the authors ad are ot ecessarily those of the Commowealth. Developed by the Huter Istitute of Metal Health i cosultatio with a Advisory Group of experts, for the Metal Health ad Suicide Prevetio Programs Brach, of the Australia Govermet Departmet of Health ad Ageig. Developed with the assistace of police services across Australia. Desiged by Advocart Pty Ltd. Publicatios P The project website at cotais the most up to date iformatio ad advice o how to obtai additioal copies of the resource.

4 Ackowledgmets People ivolved i the developmet of these resources iclude: Jaelea Skeha, Marti O Coor, Amy Laybutt & Trevor Hazell (Huter Istitute of Metal Health), Kirrily Corwell & Sue Hut (Departmet of Health ad Ageig), Cathy Heycock (SANE Australia), Michael Mitchell (QLD Police), ad Alliso Clark (SA Police). People ivolved i the review of this resource iclude: Joae Elliot (NSW Police), Katie Fowde (NT Police), Bria Marshall (Qld Police), Jodi De Cesare (Tas Police), Eva Perez ad Sally Walker (Vic Police), Peter Hatch (WA Police), Wedy Grefell (Qld Health), Michael Witer (AWG), Rhiaa Patrick ad Heather Forbes (ABC) ad Julie Foster (beyodblue). The project team would also like to ackowledge all the police represetatives i each state ad territory ad the media professioals who were ivolved i the origial scopig study ad cosultatio that led to the developmet of this resource. Refereces 1. Australia Bureau of Statistics (2008). Natioal Survey of Metal Health ad Wellbeig, ABS catalogue umber Australia Bureau of Statistics (2009). Causes of Death, ABS catalogue umber Fracis, C., Pirkis, J., Dut, D. & Blood, R.W. (2001) Metal Health ad Illess i the Media: A Review of the Literature. Caberra: Commowealth Departmet of Health ad Ageig. 4. ibid 5. ibid 6. Dare A., Pirkis J., Blood R.W., Raki B., Williamso S., Burgess P. & Jolley D. (I Press). The Media Moitorig Project: Chages i Media Reportig of Suicide ad Metal Health ad Illess i Australia, 2000/ /07. Cetre for Health Policy, Programs ad Ecoomics, The Uiversity of Melboure: Melboure. 7. New South Wales Health. (2003). Trackig tragedy: A systemic look at suicides ad homicides amogst metal health ipatiets. First report of the NSW Metal Health Setiel Evets Review Committee. 8. Pirkis, J. ad Blood, R.W. (2001) Suicide ad the Media: A Critical Review. Caberra: Commowealth Departmet of Health ad Ageig. 9. ibid 10. ibid 11. Dare, A. et al (I Press) Op cit 12. Australia Bureau of Statistics. (2008). Causes of Death, Australia, ABS catalogue umber

5 Itroductio I Australia, 45% of people will directly experiece a metal illess i their lifetime 1 ad about 1,900 people per year take their ow life 2. The media has a importat role to play i ifluecig commuity attitudes towards ad perceptios of both metal illess ad suicide. While police services i all states ad territories have policies regulatig their iteractios with the media, Australia research has idicated that police ad emergecy services are a major source of iformatio for most ews orgaisatios. Iformatio is accessible, timely, ad viewed by the media as havig high huma or dramatic iterest. The very ature of policig meas officers are cofroted by both suicide ad metal illess o a regular basis. Icidets ivolvig suicide or metal illess will ofte be see as ewsworthy ad police may be the first to field media equiries. For this reaso, police services have a importat role to play i supportig appropriate media coverage of suicide, metal illess ad metal health. Iteractios betwee police officers ad media professioals ca be very challegig. This challege may be icreased where these iteractios ivolve suicide or metal illess. This resource provides practical advice for police to support their iteractios with the media. It suggests ways of talkig about suicide ad metal illess that are cosistet with best practice guidelies for reportig. This booklet has bee developed followig cosultatios with police services i each state ad territory. It is supported by the peak media bodies ad suicide prevetio ad metal health orgaisatios represeted by the Australia Govermet s Natioal Media ad Metal Health Group.

6 About this Resource This booklet cotais brief practical iformatio i the sectios below. It is supported by a more comprehesive website at Metal Illess: Impact of Media Reportig p. 1 Metal Illess: Issues to Cosider p. 2 Metal Illess: Brief Facts p. 4 Suicide: Impact of Media Reportig p. 5 Suicide: Issues to Cosider p. 6 Suicide: Brief Facts p. 8 Further Iformatio p. 9 This resource has bee developed as part of the Midframe for Police ad Courts Project. It was developed by the Huter Istitute of Metal Health i cosultatio with a Advisory Group of experts, with fudig from the Australia Govermet Departmet of Health ad Ageig as part of the Midframe Natioal Media Iitiative.

7 Metal Illess: Impact of Media Reportig Research has idicated that for may people the media is their primary source of iformatio about metal illess. Accordig to atioal ad iteratioal research, metal illess teds to be portrayed egatively i the mass media. Recet research, however, suggests Australia reportig may be improvig 3. Reportig of metal illess ca ifluece commuity attitudes, which i tur may lead to stigma ad discrimiatio where reportig is egative 4. Reportig ca impact sigificatly o people experiecig metal illess ad may reduce appropriate helpseekig behaviour, resultig i utreated illess ad possibly cotributig to suicidal thikig ad behaviour 5. Australia research has show that ews coverage about metal illess collected at courts or from police icidets are particularly problematic 6. May of these stories focus o violece ad relate to specific ad relatively rare circumstaces. Audieces, however, are likely to make geeralisatios about people with a metal illess as a result. Whe iteractig with the media it is useful to have a uderstadig of the potetial impact of reportig metal illess ad kowledge about the priciples of best practice reportig promoted to media professioals through the Midframe Iitiative. O the ext page you will fid a list of issues to cosider whe iteractig with the media. These should be cosidered i all iteractios, ot just official statemets. For more iformatio about media reportig of metal illess, visit 1

8 Metal Illess: Issues to Cosider Cosider whether to make a commet What does your media policy say about talkig to the media? Make sure you kow what is says about talkig to the media about a perso s metal health status. Esure you are the most appropriate perso to make commet ad, if so, access support from your Media Uit. If you do state or ifer that a perso has a particular metal illess, esure a reliable source has cofirmed the diagosis ad you are ot speakig oly o the basis of observed behaviour. Cosider the potetial impact that disclosig a perso s metal illess may have o the agle a jouralist uses i the story. Use appropriate laguage Usig the correct laguage is very importat. Some derogatory terms, such as, metal patiet, psycho, schizo or utter ca lead to stigma ad discrimiatio. Esure your laguage is describig someoe s behaviour (e.g. uusual or erratic ) rather tha implyig somethig about their metal health (e.g. crazy or deraged ). Do ot label people by their illess. Someoe may be livig with, or have a diagosis of schizophreia; they are ot a schizophreic. Clarify laguage that could be misiterpreted Police statemets such as detaied uder the Metal Health Act or set for a metal health assessmet might ot be well uderstood by a jouralist ad their audiece. These terms, while correct, could be misiterpreted without clarificatio. Be careful whe talkig about a patiet who has abscoded from hospital. Will the jouralist iterpret this as escaped with a cootatio of dager or threat to commuity safety? Most patiets who leave agaist hospital regulatios are a risk to themselves, rather tha to the public. Addig a clarifyig statemet, such as the hospital is cocered for the safety of the patiet, could reduce the perceived lik betwee metal illess ad public safety. 2

9 Esure your iteractios do ot reiforce commo stereotypes The very ature of policig meas there teds to be exposure to people i crisis situatios. Cosider how these situatios may be hadled to maitai the perso s privacy ad digity ad reduce commuity fear. Remember, all of your iteractios ca be scrutiised by the media ad the broader commuity. Cosider whether your iteractios might cotribute to the perceived lik betwee metal illess ad violece. Research idicates most people with metal illess have o history of violet behaviour ad are more likely to be victims of violece. Is it appropriate to provide some cotext surroudig a icidet? For example, where violece occurs it is ofte i the cotext of drug use, distressig halluciatios or treatmet that may ot have bee effective. Ca media access photographs or footage of a perso with a metal illess iteractig with the police? Cosider the impact this might have. Refer jouralists to the Midframe website Are jouralists workig with you aware of the Midframe guidelies for reportig metal illess available from Recommed jouralists access the site for appropriate helplie umbers they ca add ad cotact details for metal health orgaisatios that may be able to assist with the story. Make cotacts i local metal health services ad uits Your local metal health service may have staff who are willig to commet o metal illess. Is it appropriate for Police Media to make cotact with the local health service to advise them about a potetial story? They may be able to provide iformatio to the jouralist that will affect the outcome of the story. Most police services i Australia have created metal health itervetio teams or similar. If you d like to kow more about how your orgaisatio is workig to improve the relatioship betwee police ad people with metal illess, please cotact the metal health teams i your orgaisatio. 3

10 Metal Illess: Brief Facts Today, metal illess is viewed as beig caused by a combiatio of biological, social, evirometal ad behavioural factors, which is differet from past associatios with weakess of character, low itelligece, or persoal flaw. Some people have oly oe episode of metal illess ad go o to lead full ad satisfyig lives. For others, metal illess occurs occasioally with years of welless betwee episodes. For a miority of those with a more severe illess, periods of acute illess will occur regularly ad, without treatmet ad effective maagemet, leave little room for recovery. Simply kowig that a perso has a metal illess will ot idicate how well or ill they are, what symptoms they are experiecig, or whether they may recover or maage the illess effectively. There are may types of metal illess ad may kids of symptoms or effects. Though a particular metal illess will ted to show a certai rage of symptoms, ot everyoe will experiece the same symptoms for example may people with schizophreia may hear voices, while others may ot. People livig with a metal illess ad their families report they experiece stigma regularly ad the effects of stigma are ofte more distressig tha the symptoms of the illess. Most people with metal illess have o history of violet behaviour ad are i fact more likely to become victims of violece. Violet behaviour has a stroger associatio with use of drugs or alcohol tha with metal illess. Whe it does occur, violet behaviour usually happes i the cotext of distressig halluciatios or treatmet that has ot bee effective 7. For detailed iformatio about differet metal disorders ad treatmets, please visit the Midframe website at 4

11 Suicide: Impact of Media Reportig The media geerally do ot report suicide deaths. If the perso is well kow or the circumstaces of the death are i some way uusual or relevat to the commuity, however, there is every possibility a death will be reported. Research has demostrated that the way suicide is reported is sigificat. While some styles of reportig have bee liked to icreased rates of actual suicide, appropriate reportig may help reduce rates of suicide 8. People i despair may be iflueced by media coverage of suicide, particularly where they idetify with the perso i the report. Characteristics of reportig associated with icreased rates of suicide iclude: reportig of celebrity suicide; high profile reportig of suicide; detailed descriptio of method ad/or locatio; ad prologed or repetitive reportig 9. Characteristics of reportig associated with decreased rates of suicide iclude: portrayals that positio suicide as a tragic waste ad a avoidable loss; those that focus o the impact o others; ad reports where method ad locatio are ot disclosed 10. While police services i all states ad territories have policies regulatig iteractios with the media, Australia research has idicated that police services are a major source of iformatio for may media stories about suicide 11. Police are usually first to examie a scee ad, therefore, may be the first to field media equiries. Whe iteractig with the media, it is importat to have a uderstadig of the potetial impact of reportig suicide ad cosider your role i the exchage of iformatio. The ext page outlies some issues to cosider whe iteractig with the media about a attempt or death by suicide. For more iformatio about media reportig of suicide, visit 5

12 Suicide: Issues to Cosider Cosider whether to make a commet What does your media policy say about talkig to the media geerally? What does it say about talkig to the media, or the commuity, about suicide specifically? Esure that you are the most appropriate perso to make commet ad seek support from your Media Uit. Cosider whether the case at had is oe that is likely to be reported by the media. If so, makig ay suggestios about the cause of death may ot be i the best iterests of the perso s family or the commuity. I some cases, describig the death as o suspicious may lesse iterest i the story. I other cases, such as the death of a promiet perso, this may lead to heighteed iterest. Remember that oly a coroer ca cofirm a death is a suicide. Cosider how much detail to disclose Have you cosidered the impact of disclosig details about the method or specific locatio of suicide? Reportig that icludes detailed descriptio of the method or locatio has bee liked to further suicides. Cosider how to hadle a death that has occurred at a kow suicide spot. Ca the locatio be referred to i more geeral terms? For example, a local lookout, or a buildig i the CBD. Have jouralists bee give access to the scee ad a opportuity to take pictures or footage? Images of the locatio where a suicide has occurred have bee liked to further deaths at that locatio. Jouralists have codes of practice that discourage ay detailed descriptio of method or locatio of a suicide death.there may be opportuity to remid them of this if you cosider questios to be iappropriate. Have you iadvertetly speculated o the cause of a suicide death? Simplistic explaatios that suggest suicide might be the result of a sigle factor or evet are uhelpful to the commuity. 6

13 Have you cosidered specific cultural protocols? For may Aborigial ad Torres Strait Islader commuities there are cultural protocols aroud amig ad showig pictures of a perso who has passed away. Use appropriate laguage Laguage that might sesatioalise suicide or preset it as a optio for dealig with problems has bee show to be problematic. It is best to use: Alteratives to the word suicide where possible, such as eded their life or took their life ; Terms such as o fatal rather tha usuccessful to describe a attempt; Descriptios such as took their ow life or died by suicide rather tha successful suicide or committed suicide ; ad Statemets such as cluster of deaths rather tha suicide epidemic. Refer jouralists to the Midframe website Are jouralists workig with you aware of the Midframe guidelies for reportig suicide available from Recommed they access the site for appropriate helplie umbers they ca add ad cotact details for metal health ad suicide prevetio orgaisatios that may be able to assist with the story. Get to kow your local support services Do you have a list of support services i the local area? If you are cocered that people bereaved by the death may be at risk, icludig police officers who may have atteded the scee, it would be useful to refer them to a cousellig service (such as those o page 10) or to local services. Your orgaisatio will also have support services for members who may be distressed by exposure to suicide. Is it appropriate for Police Media to make cotact with the local health or suicide prevetio services to advise them about a potetial story? They may be able to provide iformatio to the jouralist that will affect the outcome of the story. 7

14 Suicide: Brief Facts Suicide is a promiet health cocer i Australia. A death by suicide ca have devastatig impacts o family, frieds, colleagues ad potetially the whole commuity. Recet data shows that about 1,900 people per year die by suicide (compared to 2,722 i 1997), represetig 1-2% of all registered deaths i Australia 12. Although suicide attempts are more commo i wome tha me, geerally me take their ow lives at a rate four times that of wome. Suicide rates for both males ad females have geerally decreased sice the mid- 90s, with the overall suicide rate decreasig by 37% betwee 1998 ad Suicide rates amog youg people have falle cosiderably over recet years (by about 50% sice 1997) ad suicide i childre uder the age of 15 is a rare evet i Australia. Commo belief that there is a youth suicide epidemic is icorrect. Figures reveal the percetage of all deaths attributable to suicide is geerally much higher amog Aborigial ad Torres Strait Islader people tha the geeral populatio ad may be icreasig. Suicide is a complex pheomeo ad rarely occurs as the result of a sigle evet. However, people who are kow to be more at risk of suicide iclude: People who have previously attempted suicide; People with a metal disorder; People with alcohol or drug abuse problems; Males (particularly those aged years); Youg Aborigial or Torres Strait Islader males; People who are i ay form of custody; People i remote commuities; ad People who have bee affected persoally by suicide. For detailed iformatio about suicide ad suicide risk, please visit the Midframe website at 8

15 Further Iformatio Midframe website - Midframe Resources for Police ca be foud at by clickig o the Police tab. The website also provides iformatio about other projects that form part of the Midframe Iitiative: The Respose Ability project for Jouralism ad Public Relatios Educatio; Midframe Media ad Metal Health Project; Midframe for the Metal Health Sector; Midframe Stage ad Scree; the Media Moitorig Project, 2001, 2007; SANE Australia s Media Cetre; ad Midframe for Police ad Courts. The police sectio cotais iformatio about the impact of ews reportig as well as further iformatio about metal illess ad suicide, icludig facts, statistics, descriptios of specific disorders ad useful cotacts. It also provides examples ad further clarificatio of issues to cosider for police. 9

16 Helplies Lifelie (24-hour telephoe cousellig service) Kids Helplie (24-hour telephoe cousellig for childre & youg people aged 5 to 25 years) Mes Lie Australia (24-hour cousellig service for me) Just Ask (metal health iformatio for rural commuities) SANE Helplie SANE (7263) or helplie@sae.org (free helplie 9am-5pm) Cotacts The followig selectio* of orgaisatios are a good source of further iformatio ad are all available to the media for commet o a rage of issues. SANE Australia - (03) , Natioal charity helpig people affected by metal illess. beyodblue - (03) , Iformatio ad resources for people experiecig depressio, their families ad the commuity. Headspace, Natioal Youth Metal Health Foudatio (03) , Supportig the metal health, social wellbeig ad participatio of youg Australias aged LIFE Commuicatios, maaged by Crisis Support Services (03) , Resources, research ad etwork for people workig i suicide ad self-harm prevetio. Office for Aborigial ad Torres Strait Islader Health (OATSIH) (02) , Improvig access of Aborigial ad Torres Strait Islader peoples to primary health care services. Multicultural Metal Health Australia (02) , Leadership i metal health ad suicide prevetio for Australias from culturally ad liguistically diverse backgrouds. Speak to the support services available through your orgaisatio for advice ad assistace. * For a more comprehesive list of cotacts, visit 10