The following post was written for my Opinion Writing course at Western University. The title was made to be ironic and also referring to the lack of suicide in media outlets. These are my thoughts. Let me know yours.
The charity mentioned at the end of an obituary can usually give you a good indication into how someone died. If the charity is mental health related, this possibly indicates a suicide. For the most part, this word is usually left out. Because even in death this word is taboo. I, unfortunately, got to learn this through my own experience. My grandfather died by suicide in May of 2016. His death was silent as was the absence of its cause. When someone over the age of 70 dies, it is assumed by most that they passed from old age. His previous struggles with mental illness weren’t even discussed until my speech at his funeral. I discussed his struggles without even saying the word. I knew it wasn’t the time or place.
The mention of the word suicide brings a stigma with it. Even in the media, this word is left out. Suicide is sensitive and unless it’s attached to a crime it is hidden. I used to think this was quite problematic but as I’ve done more research I understand why this happens. However, I’m still unsatisfied.
I’m currently a 3rd year media student at the University of Western Ontario, and throughout my undergraduate career, there have been countless students who have unfortunately taken their own lives. In fact, there’s been 4 since September of 2017. The death of these students has prompted the administration to look further into mental health resources and initiate a change that students are begging for.
After each suicide, there is a news release put out by the university publication ‘Western News’ and the student run ‘Western Gazette’. The news releases never mention suicide and only briefly mention the need for students to reach out to campus resources. I decided to do some research to understand why this happens, I found out that each news outlet has their own way of disclosing a suicide. Everyone is different but they follow similar guidelines.
The other day I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and I found the post that inspired this piece. My friend Courtney had made an infographic. I met Courtney through a mental health club on campus and she frequently speaks about these issues. She wanted to express her feelings about the recent suicides by Western students. These infographics discuss the lack of the word ‘suicide’ in publications by both ‘Western News’ and the ‘Western Gazette’ Her post says, “I’ve learned that not mentioning how a student died means that it was by suicide.” Courtney’s post details a few arguments about how this is not only problematic but it adds more stigma to the already stigmatized word. The last time I checked, her post had over 500+ unique engagements including 110+ shares with even more engagement attached. There are also tons of comments about why this has happened.
When I read her post I automatically shared it. I’ve seen all the posts and releases by both WesternU and The Gazette and I have a couple of opinions of my own. Yes, I’m upset by the lack of the word. If countless students die by the same cause, I think this should be stated. But I also understand the reasons why it isn’t mentioned.
I searched around and came across the media guidelines written by the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention. They outline the increase in suicide rates after media postings. The discussion of the word suicide in media such as newspapers may encourage imitation or copycat suicide which is defined as “an emulation of another suicide that the person attempting suicide knows about either from local knowledge or depictions on television and other media.” So someone having suicidal thoughts could potentially get the idea to end their own life if an article contains the word itself. This is not only problematic but is prevented by this word being left out.
For this reason, I understand the word being left out. However, suicide still needs to be discussed. If cases of sexual assault and murder can be discussed without triggering users I feel as if suicide should be as well. But because of the sensitivity, this should be at the discretion of each individual case. When my grandfather died by suicide I was told by detectives that each suicide is treated as a criminal case until proved otherwise, this is because of the cases of murder suicides where someone commits a murder and then takes their own life. Detectives have to treat it as such due to the criminal code. Suicide used to also be criminalized and wasn’t decriminalized until 1972.
In 2018 I understand the consequences of media. Being a media student myself I see how it can be overwhelming. I also understand how someone could potentially take something the wrong way. However, ending the stigma around suicide requires conversation. Although it is a sensitive topic, the more we discuss it the more possibility there is for change to occur. We may not see the word in any upcoming headlines but the more articles that are written and conversations had can help to make a change in the long run.
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Thank you to my friend Courtney for being brave enough to speak her mind and inspire me to write this for my class. As you can see, there is much work that has to be done to help change the conversation and prevent more students from taking their own lives. Don’t stay silent, reach out if you need it.
Visit this website for more information. https://suicideprevention.ca
I love you all. Don’t ever feel like you’re alone.
Mallory T
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