Time for the media to revisit guidelines

The coverage of Patrick Rocca’s death should prompt a rethink by sections of the media

IT IS deeply regrettable that the Rocca family has experienced press coverage of Patrick’s death as intrusive and hurtful.

The aftermath of suicide in any family is an incredibly confusing and distressing period. It is a time at which people need our respect and support as they struggle to come to terms with the impact of their shattering loss.

In the coverage of Mr Rocca’s death, a simplistic explanation that it was entirely due to financial losses he incurred was implied. His wife and close colleagues were quick to describe these rumours as inaccurate and irresponsible.

Somehow the story of his death became yet another rendition of the impact of the economic downturn with which we are all struggling. This man’s tragic death became a springboard for loose speculation about the vulnerability of the rich and the famous to suicide.

There are a number of reasons why such speculation is harmful. Firstly, it gives a very distorted picture of suicide – everything we have learned about suicide has revealed what a complex issue it is. There is never a single reason that explains why someone chooses to take their own life.

Derek Chambers, research and resource officer at the National Office for Suicide Prevention, wrote in this newspaper last year: “Suicide is never easy to explain, whether trying to come to some understanding of the terrible loss of someone close, or struggling to analyse the suicide rate of postmodern Ireland. . . each death by suicide is unique.”

There is another reason why distorting the issue of suicide can be harmful. Through crafting the stories of our lives, the media shapes our collective perceptions and expectations. In a time when we are all facing setbacks and uncertainties, our perceptions profoundly affect how we feel and act.

If we believe that certain outcomes are inevitable, we will tend to act accordingly. Our perceptions can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies.

In the case of any suicide, those most at risk and most vulnerable to so-called “copycat” suicides are people who identify closely with the deceased, people for whom he or she was a role model, and people who find themselves facing similar life circumstances.

Mr Rocca was an iconic figure in the business community and undoubtedly many of his “peers” are facing the harsh impact of the recession. What must it do to these people to read that one of their role models was seemingly overtaken by a suicidal impulse in the wake of a financial setback?

What must this kind of reportage do to the families of these individuals who are struggling to support them through excruciating stresses?

The media has an important role to play in de-stigmatising the whole subject of mental health and, in very many respects, it has done this country a great service over the past decade.

There was a time when mental illness and suicide were so overshadowed by fear and shame that they would never be discussed, except in hushed tones. We have moved to a position where we accept that we are all touched by these issues, whether directly or indirectly, and we can be more open with each other. The danger for all of us is that we tend to speak about these issues in a superficial and irresponsible manner. Even though we speak more openly about suicide, our collective conversation often lacks any depth of understanding.

This is not surprising, as the subject is painful and so complex. I don’t envy journalists who are given the responsibility of covering some of the heart-breaking stories of suicide that we have witnessed in this country in recent years.

To help them, and to protect both the deceased and those bereaved by suicide, the Samaritans and the Irish Association of Suicidology produced Media Guidelines for the Portrayal of Suicide(2006).

These guidelines highlight the need to “avoid simplistic explanations” and to help audiences to “understand the complexity of the issue”. News features have an opportunity to deepen our understanding of suicide by highlighting a number of risk factors that lead to suicide.

The authors also caution journalists to keep in mind that one in four people knows someone who has taken their own life: “It is highly likely someone in this position will be deeply affected by your coverage of the death of a person in this way, so consider the sensitivity that may be required in presenting your story. If you had lost someone, how would you like to be treated?”

They urge consideration for survivors of suicide, for “those who have attempted it [and] those who have been bereaved”. With this in mind, they ask journalists and production staff to consider using news features to highlight the many excellent organisations which are available to offer help.

The Samaritans, Aware, Pieta House and Teen-line are easy to access, and completely confidential. Knowing there is someone out there who can relate to a person if they are feeling hopeless and thinking about harming themselves in some way can be enough to pull someone back from the edge.

The National Office for Suicide Prevention ( www.nosp.ie) has a directory of all services, including those like Console ( www.console.ie) which offer counselling to those who have been bereaved by suicide.

Mr Rocca’s wife, hurt by media coverage of her husband’s death and concerned that other families may be subjected to similar insensitivities, has taken her case to the Press Ombudsman. She and her family should not have to do this at a time when they have a great deal to come to terms with.

Let’s hope that this will be a catalyst for the media to revisit these guidelines and consider more deeply the power of their work over all of us.

• Tony Bates is founding director of Headstrong – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health ( www.headstrong.ie)