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Niederkrotenthaler T, Tran US, Till B. Associations of Suicide Referents With Different Moral Connotation With Actual Suicides. CRISIS 2024; 45:280-286. [PMID: 38441131 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Background: Different words used for suicide (so-called suicide referents) have different moral connotations, and neutral referents are recommended in media reporting guidelines. Aims: To assess how different referents in media reports are related to actual suicides. Method: Austrian news articles for each month between 2000 and 2021 (n = 276 months) were obtained from the Austrian Press Agency. Time series were modeled for media items referring to suicide as a crime [Selbstmord], an act of freedom [Freitod], or neutral connotation [Suizid]. Temporal associations with suicides in the month before, during, and after the reporting were examined. Results: Terminology referring to suicide as an act of free will [Freitod] was weakly associated with increases in total, male, and female suicides and with suicides in up to 64-year-olds in the same month. No other statistically significant associations were found. Limitations: No detailed content analysis of media reports was done. Conclusion: During times of prevalent use of referents suggesting suicide to be an act of freedom, there are small-sized increases in suicides. The simultaneous occurrence of this referent and suicides might reflect effects of a societal framing present in both the media and the community rather than a sheer media effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Public Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich S Tran
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
| | - Benedikt Till
- Public Mental Health Research Unit, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Sinyor M, Ekstein D, Prabaharan N, Fiksenbaum L, Vandermeer C, Schaffer A, Pirkis J, Heisel MJ, Goldstein BI, Redelmeier DA, Taylor P, Niederkrotenthaler T. Changes in Media Reporting Quality and Suicides Following National Media Engagement on Responsible Reporting of Suicide in Canada: Changements de la Qualité des reportages dans les médias sur les suicides suite à l'engagement des médias nationaux à la déclaration responsable du suicide au Canada. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. REVUE CANADIENNE DE PSYCHIATRIE 2024; 69:358-368. [PMID: 38174363 PMCID: PMC11032096 DOI: 10.1177/07067437231223334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Responsible media reporting is an accepted strategy for preventing suicide. In 2015, suicide prevention experts launched a media engagement initiative aimed at improving suicide-related reporting in Canada; its impact on media reporting quality and suicide deaths is unknown. METHOD This pre-post observational study examined changes in reporting characteristics in a random sample of suicide-related articles from major publications in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) media market. Articles (n = 900) included 450 from the 6-year periods prior to and after the initiative began. We also examined changes in suicide counts in the GTA between these epochs. We used chi-square tests to analyse changes in reporting characteristics and time-series analyses to identify changes in suicide counts. Secondary outcomes focused on guidelines developed by media professionals in Canada and how they may have influenced media reporting quality as well as on the overarching narrative of media articles during the most recent years of available data. RESULTS Across-the-board improvement was observed in suicide-related reporting with substantial reductions in many elements of putatively harmful content and substantial increases in all aspects of putatively protective content. However, overarching article narratives remained potentially harmful with 55.2% of articles telling the story of someone's death and 20.8% presenting an other negative message. Only 3.6% of articles told a story of survival. After controlling for potential confounders, a nonsignificant numeric decrease in suicide counts was identified after initiative implementation (ω = -5.41, SE = 3.43, t = 1.58, p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS We found evidence that a strategy to engage media in Canada changed the content of reporting, but there was only a nonsignificant trend towards fewer suicides. A more fundamental change in media narratives to focus on survival rather than death appears warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Daniella Ekstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nivetha Prabaharan
- Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Caroline Vandermeer
- Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Ayal Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jane Pirkis
- Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Marnin J. Heisel
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Benjamin I. Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder, Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
| | - Donald A. Redelmeier
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Paul Taylor
- Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research and Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Bailey E, Bellairs-Walsh I, Reavley N, Gooding P, Hetrick S, Rice S, Boland A, Robinson J. Best practice for integrating digital interventions into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide: a Delphi study. BMC Psychiatry 2024; 24:71. [PMID: 38267895 PMCID: PMC10809499 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05448-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Digital tools have the capacity to complement and enhance clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. Despite the rapid rise of digital tools, their rate of integration into clinical practice remains low. The poor uptake of digital tools may be in part due to the lack of best-practice guidelines for clinicians and services to safely apply them with this population. METHODS A Delphi study was conducted to produce a set of best-practice guidelines for clinicians and services on integrating digital tools into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. First, a questionnaire was developed incorporating action items derived from peer-reviewed and grey literature, and stakeholder interviews with 17 participants. Next, two independent expert panels comprising professionals (academics and clinical staff; n = 20) and young people with lived experience of using digital technology for support with suicidal thoughts and behaviours (n = 29) rated items across two consensus rounds. Items reaching consensus (rated as "essential" or "important" by at least 80% of panel members) at the end of round two were collated into a set of guidelines. RESULTS Out of 326 individual items rated by the panels, 188 (57.7%) reached consensus for inclusion in the guidelines. The endorsed items provide guidance on important topics when working with young people, including when and for whom digital tools should be used, how to select a digital tool and identify potentially harmful content, and identifying and managing suicide risk conveyed via digital tools. Several items directed at services (rather than individual clinicians) were also endorsed. CONCLUSIONS This study offers world-first evidence-informed guidelines for clinicians and services to integrate digital tools into clinical care for young people at risk of suicide. Implementation of the guidelines is an important next step and will hopefully lead to improved uptake of potentially helpful digital tools in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Bailey
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia.
| | - India Bellairs-Walsh
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Nicola Reavley
- Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Piers Gooding
- Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne, Grattan Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Sarah Hetrick
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, 22-30 Park Ave, Grafton, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand
| | - Simon Rice
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
| | - Alexandra Boland
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jo Robinson
- Orygen, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
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Sinyor M, Fraser L, Reidenberg D, Yip PSF, Niederkrotenthaler T. The Kenneth Law Media Event - A Dangerous Natural Experiment. CRISIS 2024; 45:1-7. [PMID: 38252508 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Dan Reidenberg
- National Council for Suicide Prevention, Burnsville, MN, USA
| | - Paul S F Yip
- The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
| | - Thomas Niederkrotenthaler
- Unit Suicide Research & Mental Health Promotion, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
- Wiener Werkstaette for Suicide Research, Vienna, Austria
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Izadi N, Mitchell RHB, Giacobbe P, Nestor S, Steinberg R, Amini J, Sinyor M, Schaffer A. Suicide Assessment and Prevention in Bipolar Disorder: How Current Evidence Can Inform Clinical Practice. FOCUS (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC PUBLISHING) 2023; 21:380-388. [PMID: 38695007 PMCID: PMC11058945 DOI: 10.1176/appi.focus.20230011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2024]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is associated with a considerable risk of suicide, and this fact must be incorporated into management of all patients with the condition. This article highlights the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the factors associated with the increased risk of suicidal behavior in people diagnosed as having bipolar disorder and interventions that could mitigate it. Several sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, and other variables have been associated with suicide attempts or deaths in bipolar disorder. Youths with bipolar disorder are a particularly vulnerable group, and their trajectory of illness could be modified by early interventions. Several medications have been studied regarding their relationship to suicide risk in bipolar disorder, and interventional psychiatry is a newer area of research focus. Finally, community-based approaches can be incorporated into a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention. This article summarizes the current understanding of key variables that can help inform a clinical risk assessment of individuals and interventions that can be employed in suicide prevention in bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Izadi
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Rachel H B Mitchell
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Peter Giacobbe
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Sean Nestor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Rosalie Steinberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Jasmine Amini
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Mark Sinyor
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
| | - Ayal Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto (all authors); Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Izadi, Mitchell, Giacobbe, Nestor, Steinberg, Sinyor, Schaffer)
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Puchalski N. Letters to the Editor: Letter to the Editor regarding 'Is the narrative the message? The relationship between suicide-related narratives in media reports and subsequent suicides'. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2023; 57:1398. [PMID: 37571865 DOI: 10.1177/00048674231193349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
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