Suicide Prevention: A Resource for Media Professionals. 2023 Update

Suicide is a major public health problem with far-reaching social, emotional and economic consequences. It is estimated that there are currently more than 700,000 suicides per year worldwide, and each suicide directly affects many more people. Media professionals have been instrumental in shaping cultural narratives that improve the health of populations around the world.

Current research indicates that suicide prevention, while feasible, involves a range of activities ranging from providing the best possible conditions for raising our children and youth, to accurate and timely assessment of mental health conditions and their effective management, to restricting the means of suicide, and more. Although suicide has often been discussed as a mental health-related problem and/or as a biomedically based problem alone, suicide is complex and multifaceted and must be addressed appropriately. Adequate dissemination of information, provision of resources, and awareness-raising are essential elements for successful suicide prevention.

Responsible reporting on suicide is also a critical component in suicide prevention. Various cultural, local/regional, age-related and gender issues need to be taken into account in efforts to prevent suicide. This is the fourth version of Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals and is the product of ongoing collaboration between the World Health Organization and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). This update represents one link in a long and diverse chain involving a wide range of people and groups, including health professionals, media professionals , educators, social agencies, governments, policymakers, social communicators, law enforcement, religious leaders, people with direct experience of suicide, and families and communities committed to suicide prevention. WHO's VIVA LA VIDA: An Implementation Guide for Suicide Prevention in Countries further demonstrates the important role of the media in suicide prevention.

See full document https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372691/9789240076846-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Official Spanish version of the original work in English: Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals. Update 2023. © World Health Organization, 2023. ISBN 978-92-4-007684-6