It is one of the actions included in the Suicidal Behavior Prevention Program in the Canary Islandswhich includes among its ospecific objectives carrying out training and awareness activities aimed at different groups, including professionals from the media, focused in this case on international recommendations for the treatment of news related to suicide.
More than 40 journalism professionals and students have participated in the activity training held last Tuesday January 24 in Tenerife and today Thursday January 26 in Gran Canaria. The sessions have been given by Francisco Javier Acosta Artiles, psychiatrist, technician of the Mental Health service of the General Directorate of Assistance Programs and coordinator of the Suicidal Behavior Prevention Program in the Canary Islands, author of multiple international publications, including various works in the specific area of suicide and the media.
The training activity has influenced the recommendations established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the media related to news about suicides. There is evidence that news about suicide have a potential contagion or preventive effect in the population, depending on its characteristics and general focus.
This way, Sensitizing the media about the approach to suicide news is a priority in any strategy to prevent suicidal behavior. The objective of the conferences has been to provide media professionals with essential knowledge about suicide, its prevention and suicidal behaviors, especially about the effect of the news according to its characteristics, and the recommendations of the WHO. about. It has also been tried to facilitate the knowledge and tools that help them to adequately focus the news on suicide.
recommendations
Among the recommendations collected by the WHO for addressing news about suicides in the media include, among others, avoiding a sensationalist approach, making prudent use of photographs and videos about the eventnot posting farewell notes, avoiding reporting the specific details of the method or location, not glorifying the person, or not presenting suicide as a consequence of simplistic reasons.
On the contrary, it is recommendedinclude those characteristics that have been shown to have a preventive effect in the population, how to highlight alternatives to suicide, either through generic information or people’s stories, which illustrate how to deal with adverse circumstances, suicidal thoughts, and how to ask for help. Likewise, another pillar is to provide information on professional care resources and available crisis lines. Information on the warning signs of suicide risk and how to act when detected is also useful. For its part, educating the population about the frequent association between suicidal thoughts and mental health problems, among which depression is the most frequent, can encourage the search for professional help.
Line 024
Finally, during the course also sThe importance of the 024 Hotline for attention to suicidal behavior launched by the Ministry of Health was recalled. In this sense, it was recalled that this national, free, confidential and available 24-hour, every day of the year telephone number offers help to people with suicidal thoughts, ideations or risk of behavior, as well as their relatives and relatives. through emotional support through active listening by 024 professionals, the recommendation that they contact the SNS health services or referral to 1-1-2 in cases in which an emergency situation is appreciated. The recipients of the line are people with suicidal ideation or behavior, as well as relatives or close friends of suicide victims or people with suicidal ideation.
