Media Reporting About Sites Frequently Used for Suicide

Background and Aims: Exposure to media reporting on suicide leads to imitative suicide. This effect remains unexplored for frequently used sites, which this study will examine. Method: Data on 497 Australian newspaper articles on suicide that mentioned any of the top six most frequently used sites were retrieved between 2008 and 2017. The data were combined with national suicide data occurring during the same period, by determining the number of suicides occurring at the same sites that were reported in selected weeks pre- and post-article. Results: Articles on suicide that mentioned frequently used sites were associated with a greater risk of suicide imitation at those same sites. A greater risk of imitation was associated with articles that reported the suicide method, suicide statistics and prevention initiatives, and published in the inside pages of a newspaper. A reduction in suicide was associated with articles that focused on a suicide death, reported the deceased being well-known, and reported on interviews with the bereaved. Limitations: Data were collected from text-based transcripts without imagery and excluded other traditional media (e.g., television). Conclusion: This study identified elements of media reporting on suicide at frequently used sites that were associated with increases and decreases in subsequent suicides at such sites.