Impact Of Media On Suicide

News media commonly report suicide in ways that contribute to increase in suicide risk. Often when a story is covered, the talking points suggest that military suicides are common and reflect a sense of hopelessness. The VA reports efforts to change media coverage is not accurately being pursued. There is a need to develop strategic communications promoting life, normalize help-seeking behaviors, and support Department of Defense (DOD) suicide prevention strategies while attempting to reduce stigma. Studies show that media is more likely to report failed psychological treatment, which may unintentionally discourage members to seek help. Langford, Litts, and Pearson suggest creating effective health communication campaigns. A well-designed
Effective campaigns target a specific audience and a specific behavior; messages are more effective when directed to a well-defined population and articulate the desired change of behavior. Researching the audience is an excellent way to understand the problem and desired behavior in order to produce a creative brief and evaluation plan. Langford, Litts, and Pearson say that program evaluation is a gap in suicide messaging field. Campaign messages and materials should carry out strategy and promote action; more persuasive messages use formative research to motivate action. Informing the audience of dire negative consequences of inaction is a comment motivator that experts caution due to possible backfired; it is recommended to suggest that the audience can do an action and the action is beneficial. The way a message is conveyed should correspond with the audience’s preferences. For example, attempting to reach elderly veterans through internet is not effective due to the lack of exposure to these sources. There are a few unique considerations with suicide messaging. One of these unique considerations is mental illness stigma, because it is a barrier to treatment use; messages should be informed by literature on a stigma and
Some life transitions associated with suicide risk include job loss, divorce or breakup, and physical injuries or illness. Brenner and Barnes (2012) suggest that facilitating treatment engagement, particularly during high-risk periods, might be an important means of reducing suicide. A study of the general population found that 43% of suicides after inpatient psychiatric treatment happened within the first month after discharge; the first week is noted to be high risk. One study using inmates found an increase in suicide rates just two weeks after release. Another study conducted suggested the highest risk period for suicide vets was 12 weeks after a psychiatric hospitalization. Active military members may experience increased risk of suicide during deployment. Risks are highest around the second month of deployment, due to separation from family and friends. Again, after six months, because usually this is when a soldier takes leave for home and returns to combat with increased stress and feeling of isolation. It is noted that around 12 months into the deployment, individuals may become increasingly focused on stressors at home. Once discharge from the military, veterans may experience a loss of sense of self and purpose, find it difficult to leave well-designed and meaningful military roles, experience heightened sense of burden to provide for their families with financial and emotional support, and feel