domingo, 23 de febrero de 2020

How do people bereaved by suicide react to media reports on the death? - BMC Series blog

How do people bereaved by suicide react to media reports on the death? - BMC Series blog

Alexandra Pitman

Alexandra Pitman

Dr Alexandra Pitman is an Associate Professor in the UCL Division of Psychiatry and an Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. Her research and clinical interests are in the epidemiology of suicide and self-harm, the effects of media reporting of suicide,
the relationship between loneliness and suicidality, and in psychosocial interventions for people with suicidal thoughts. She completed her PhD in 2014 at UCL on the impact of suicide bereavement, and is currently funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to continue researching this topic. She is a Patron of the Support After Suicide Partnership, and tweets in a personal capacity as @DrAPitman


How do people bereaved by suicide react to media reports on the death?

A study published today in BMC Public Health describes the experiences of people bereaved by suicide regarding media reporting of the suicide of their friend or relative. Author Alexandra Pitman talks to Samaritans, Support After Suicide Partnership, and Emma Bird - a journalist who was bereaved by suicide and has both perspectives.
You are a junior reporter on a busy local newspaper. Your editor has asked you to cover the suicide of a young man who lived in the town with his parents. You have been to their house but they would only speak to you through the door. It was clear they were not keen to be interviewed. Your editor is putting pressure on you to meet the copy deadline with something that will engage readers. What do you do?
Our research study published today in BMC Public Health describes the perspectives of bereaved relatives like those portrayed in this vignette, and provides examples of conflicts between their need for privacy and journalists’ need to do their job. Among the 140 suicide-bereaved relatives or friends who responded to our online survey, many described perceptions of journalists’ intrusive behavior, a failure to consult them appropriately, and inaccuracy in reporting. However, some individuals described the press coverage as an opportunity to raise awareness and prevent further suicides.

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