David Carradine Did What?

Straight from the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention website:

Research has shown that graphic, sensationalized or romanticized descriptions of suicide deaths in the news media can contribute to suicide contagion, popularly referred to as “copycat” suicides. Media reports on suicide can also be a source of misinformation; for example, when suicide is attributed in a single event such as the loss of a job or a relationship, with no mention of underlying factors such as the individual’s depression, substance abuse, or lack of access to treatment for these conditions.

Don't newscasters know this? Yet the last 48 hours I keep hearing David Carradine did this, he did that. The rope was found here and there and everywhere.

Now it turns out that his might not have even been a suicide. But the information is now out there. Wannabe copycats were paying attention. Who will be held accountable? We all know that no one really reads the corrections.

Interestingly enough I just learned about Suzy's Law a.k.a H.R. 853. This is a legislation currently working its way through Congress which will make it a crime for folks to help someone commit suicide on-line. Right now those who egg on telling others to kill themselves are protected by freedom of speech but have no moral or ethical grounding. Suzy's law is something to think about.

This is especially true in this world where the 24-hour news cycle reigns.

Responsible coverage of suicide, in contrast, can educate wide audiences about the likely causes of suicide, its warning signs, trends in suicide rates, recent treatment advances and other ways suicide can be prevented. Stories about well-known figures who have successfully sought treatment for depression, alcoholism and other conditions that convey suicide risk can also be a powerful impetus for readers to address such issues in their own lives.

If folks were only more respectful...maybe more people would actually seek the help they really need.

The Afterw@rd