In 1774 Johann W. von Goethe published a novel entitled “The Sufferings of Young Werther» in which he told the story of a boy who, after a disappointment in love, decided to take his life with a shot to the head. The novel was banned in countries such as Italy, Germany and Denmark. Why? He triggered a wave of suicides among young people by imitating the method used by the protagonist of the book.
On the morning of August 7, 1962, the media confirmed the suicide of actress Marilyn Monroe. In the following months, 303 suicides among young people were recorded. Something similar happened in 1994 when Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain decided to take his own life.
Today we know it as Werther effect and refers to the imitative effect of suicidal behaviorThe term was first used in 1974 by the sociologist David Phillips. Between 1947 and 1968 Phillips conducted a study in which he concluded that next month Every time The New York Times published a story about someone they knew committing suicide, the rate of people taking their own lives increased by almost 12%.
Does the media's coverage of suicide have an influence?
The study “The Media and the Suicide of Western Youth” carried out by students of the Complutense University of Madrid, It highlights the phenomenon of suicidal imitative behavior throughout the history of humanity and how this has led many psychiatrists, especially in the United States, to question the actions of the media in these cases.
Institutions such as the World Health Organization have expressed their concern about this: “There is evidence that reports of suicide in the media may lead some people to emulate such acts. We therefore urge the media to demonstrate sensitivity in reporting on these tragic and often preventable deaths.”.
The study reveals that the “Media treatment can influence, but only in vulnerable people or those with a personality prone to psychological problems”.
How to deal with information about suicides in the media
Because it is the media that makes these cases known, the Werther Effect has resulted in Specific recommendations and guidelines for dealing with suicide in the mediaIn the late 1980s in the United States, certain recommendations were taken into account when dealing with facts related to suicide in order to ensure that these behaviors would not be so contagious.
The American Association of Suicidology recommends:
- Avoid preferably, whenever possible, the use of the term “suicide” in the title of any article or news item. Unless the suicide occurred in public, the cause of death must be disclosed in the body of the article and not in the title.
- It is preferable to speak to the deceased as 'deaths as a result of suicide', rather than as 'a suicide'; using the second expression we reduce the person to the manner of his death.
- It is preferable to talk about 'attempt with fortunate consequences' to call it 'failed suicide' or 'erroneous' when suicide does not occur.
- Suicide should not be treated from a point of view romantic.
- There is no need to mention where the act was committed, nor the method used.
- Suicide should not be presented as a inexplicable act.
Journalistic ethics: the Papageno effect
We are talking about the opposite pole of the Werther Effect. The study “The treatment of suicide in the Spanish press: Werther effect or Papageno effect” defines this as “Responsible coverage, following established guidelines” of suicide. Referring to the author Lower Croupthe study notes that “Exposure to information about affected people who have faced a crisis situation in a positive way and without suicidal behavior is related to a decrease in suicide rates, with the information having a protective effect in these cases.”.
In Niederkrotenthaler's own words, «the impact of information about suicide cannot be limited to harmful effects, but coverage of positive coping in adverse circumstances, as explained in press articles on suicidal ideation, can have protective effects.»
If in doubt, call the phone number created for the Suicide prevention: 717 003 717