Mental Health and Suicide
1. Introduction
Suicide is one of the most sensitive and widely covered mental health issues in the media. Reporting has a powerful influence on public attitudes, stigma, and individual safety. While these guidelines also refer to mental health reporting broadly, additional care is required when reporting on suicide due to the risk of harm and potential for harm reduction, so these guidelines focus here.
Why this matters: Inaccurate or sensationalist reporting of suicide has been linked to increased risk of imitation (the “Werther effect”). Studies show that media coverage of celebrity suicides is associated with a measurable increase in subsequent suicides (around 13% in the following weeks [1]). At the same time, responsible coverage can have protective effects (sometimes called the “Papageno effect” [2]) encouraging help-seeking behaviour and improving understanding.
Common issues in coverage: excessive detail of methods, dramatic headlines, speculative “causes,” and stigmatising language such as “committed suicide.”
Purpose: These guidelines aim to support journalists in producing accurate, sensitive, and constructive reporting on mental health and suicide.
2. Do’s and Don’ts (Quick Reference)
Do
Use phrases like “died by suicide” or “took their own life.”
Include information that suicide is preventable, and signpost support services (e.g. Samaritans, Papyrus).
Provide context around mental health (structural causes, treatment options, recovery stories).
Apply extra care with headlines and images.
Recognise the impact reporting can have on audiences, especially young people.
Approach people affected by suicide, including bereaved individuals, with sensitivity and avoid any questioning that implies blame or responsibility
Reflect the range of mental health experiences, including recovery, management, and support, not only crisis.
Don’t
Report methods of suicide in detail.
Use sensationalist terms like “suicide epidemic” or “committed suicide”.
Speculate about “causes” or reduce to a single factor.
Glamorise or romanticise suicide (especially celebrity cases).
Publish suicide notes, images of locations, or dramatic visual material.
3. Core Principles
Accuracy: Use clear facts, avoid speculation, and report statistics responsibly.
Sensitivity: Respect the dignity of those affected, avoid sensationalism, and minimise harm.
Context: Situate suicide and mental health issues within wider social, medical, and policy frameworks, including everyday experiences of mental health and recovery.
Representation: Include voices of people with lived experience where appropriate, ensuring consent and safety.
Responsibility: Provide resources and signposts to support services.
4. Detailed Guidance
Language
Prefer “died by suicide” to “committed suicide” (which implies criminality).
Avoid terms like “failed attempt” or “successful suicide.” Use “suicide attempt” or “person at risk of suicide.”
Refrain from euphemisms or melodramatic phrases such as “cry for help,” “iconic site,” or “hot spot.”
Avoid derogatory or stigmatising language such as “crazy,” “erratic,” or using mental health conditions as shorthand for describing behaviour or character.
Avoid defining individuals solely by mental health conditions or framing mental illness as a defining characteristic.
Framing
Place suicide stories within broader context: highlight prevention, mental health care, and recovery.
Avoid reducing suicide to a single cause (e.g. “because of exam stress”); emphasise complexity.
Focus on resilience and coping, not inevitability.
Sources & Experts
Consult organisations such as Samaritans, Papyrus, and The Listening Place.
Use WHO and NHS data for reliable statistics.
Where possible, collaborate with mental health experts when covering complex cases.
Images/Visuals
Avoid images of the method, location, or personal belongings of the deceased.
Use neutral or supportive imagery (e.g. helpline logos, community support visuals).
Ensure consent when including family or survivor images.
Avoid imagery directly from social media accounts.
Case Study
Poor practice: Front-page headline “Student leaps to death from city bridge after row with girlfriend” — sensationalises method, speculates cause, romanticises story.
Good practice: “Calls grow for better mental health support at universities after student death” — avoids method, focuses on structural issues, signposts resources.
5. Legal & Regulatory Considerations
NUJ members can call the NUJ ethics hotline: 0845 450 0864 or email ethics@nuj.org.uk
IPSO Editors’ Code, Clause 5 (Intrusion into grief or shock): journalists must handle sensitively.
Ofcom Broadcasting Code: avoid material likely to harm, and exercise caution with vulnerable groups.
WHO Media Guidelines: discourage sensationalising, oversimplifying, or romanticising suicide.
IMPRESS Standards Code: do not make prejudicial or derogatory reference to disability, health, or identity (Clause 4). Avoid material that could cause harm without justification.
6. Resources & Support
Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7 helpline) – samaritans.org A UK-wide charity providing confidential emotional support to anyone in distress or at risk of suicide.
Papyrus (prevention of young suicide): 0800 068 4141 – papyrus-uk.org A specialist service supporting young people struggling with suicidal thoughts, and those concerned about them.
The Listening Place: listeningplace.org.uk A face-to-face support service offering ongoing, confidential listening for people experiencing suicidal crisis.
WHO: Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240076846International guidance for journalists on responsible reporting of suicide, including evidence-based recommendations to minimise harm and improve public understanding.
Mind: mind.org.uk A leading mental health charity providing advice, information, and support for people experiencing mental health problems.
7. Consultation & Acknowledgements
Developed with input from journalists, mental health experts, advocacy groups, and people with lived experience.
8. About These Guidelines
These guidelines are intended as practical support and do not replace existing regulatory codes.
We welcome input and feedback — please email info@pressjusticeproject.org
9. With Thanks To…
These guidelines were produced by the Press Justice Project in consultation with journalism educators and practitioners. Many thanks to our panel of expert reviewers.
References:
[1] The British Medical Journal: Association between suicide reporting in the media and suicide: systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m575
[2] National Library of Medicine: Impact of Media Guidelines on Suicide-Related Reporting Quality and Suicides. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41684226/