Suicide: Media

Abstract There is strong evidence for the existence of the so‐called Werther effect, which describes the phenomenon that media depictions of suicide can lead to an increase in the actual number of suicides. Scholars have identified elements of suicide reporting that strengthen detrimental imitative effects, such as a sensational reporting style including detailed depictions of the suicide method. However, not all suicide reporting must necessarily translate into a rise in suicides. For example, there is evidence that exposure to news stories about individuals who successfully coped with a suicidal crisis can actually reduce suicidality, a beneficial phenomenon termed the Papageno effect. From a suicide prevention perspective, it is important that news coverage of suicide adheres to a set of guidelines of responsible reporting, aiming to reduce or, better, to eliminate harmful Werther effects and to facilitate helpful Papageno effects. This may in fact prevent suicides. In an effort to adjust to an ever‐evolving field of new media based on new media and communication technologies, continuous endeavors to evaluate the role of the media in the suicide prevention domain are of utmost importance.