From 483a1529e0f97cc23b4c4c8d67521cb6e4dec37c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: straydogstrut Date: Tue, 26 May 2020 19:58:03 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Add definition for suicide --- 11ty/definitions/suicide.md | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 21 insertions(+) diff --git a/11ty/definitions/suicide.md b/11ty/definitions/suicide.md index c497d746..5c7f55e7 100644 --- a/11ty/definitions/suicide.md +++ b/11ty/definitions/suicide.md @@ -5,4 +5,25 @@ defined: false flag: level: warning text: content warning +reading: + - text: "Mental Health Foundation: Suicide" + href: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/suicide + - text: "Samaritans: Best Practice Suicide Reporting Tips" + href: https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/media-guidelines/best-practice-suicide-reporting-tips/ --- +the deliberate act of voluntarily ending one's own life. Motivation for suicide can be the result of conscious or unconscious thoughts and feelings. + +## Issues + +Commonly referred to in conversation and journalism as "committed suicide" or similar. This has negative connotations with criminality and judgement, and places blame on the individual. Can also be used in combination with a related measure of "success" which promotes suicide as a desirable result. + +## Impact + +Unless used with sensitivity and care, discussion of suicide can reinforce negative stereotypes and stigma around mental illness. Sensationalist reporting of suicide also risks inadvertently promoting suicide. + +## Usage Tips + +- When discussing suicide, avoid mentioning details of methods used and suggesting that these are "easy" or "painless" to reduce the risk of imitation. Also avoid suggesting that suicide is an "easy way out". +- Avoid speculation over possible triggers: Suicide is complex and not necessarily the result of a single event. Attempting to explain away suicide with a specific cause downplays the wider circumstances and the impact on all those affected. +- Rather than saying that a person "committed suicide", instead say that a person "died by suicide". This frames suicide as a symptom of wider conditions and the individual as a victim rather than a perpetrator. +- Discussing or reporting on suicide can be an opportunity to signpost the support available and educate people about the importance of mental wellbeing. \ No newline at end of file