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Comkit Comkit - To Protect Life
Social Media

Language Matters

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Using terms and phrases when discussing suicide is important. Inappropriate use of language can increase stigma or sensationalise a death, while careful use can help balance the coverage, and minimise distress to bereaved family members and friends. It is ok to talk about suicide. By using the right language and having healthy discussions, we encourage a better understanding of the topic.

Family or a friend

Language Do's & Don'ts

Using inappropriate language can increase stigmas or sensationalise a death, while careful use can help balance the coverage, and minimise distress to bereaved family members and friends.

Representing a community group

Sharing the right information

Before you communicate online about suicide, take some time to think about why you want to share this post. Reflect on how your post could affect other people and whether or not there is a different way to communicate this information in a way that is safer or more helpful.

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Samaritans Media Guidelines
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Language Do's and Don'ts

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In cases of suspected suicide or undetermined intent the Samaritans’ Media Guidance for the discussion and reporting of suicide should be applied. The key messages from the guidelines are:

  •  Think about the impact of the coverage on your audience.
  •  Exercise caution when referring to the methods and context of the death.
  •  Avoid over simplification.
  •  Avoid melodramatic descriptors of the death and/or its aftermath.
  •  Aim for non-sensational, sensitive coverage.
  •  Consider carefully the placement and illustration of media reports.
  •  Educate and Inform

Phrases to Use

A suicide
Take one’s own life
Person at risk of suicide
Die by/death by suicide
Suicide attempt

Phrases to Avoid

Commit suicide
Cry for help
A ‘successful’ or ‘unsuccessful’
Suicide victim/ epidemic
Hot spot

The media guidelines should be applied in all media interaction and correspondence relating to the details of the incident and any related searches, by all the organisations involved. These guidelines cover the process from search through to recovery.

Links

Samaritans Media Guidelines

Sharing the Right Information

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In cases of suspected suicide or undetermined intent the Samaritans’ Media Guidance for the discussion and reporting of suicide should be applied. The key messages from the guidelines are:

  •  Think about the impact of the coverage on your audience.
  •  Exercise caution when referring to the methods and context of the death.
  •  Avoid over simplification.
  •  Avoid melodramatic descriptors of the death and/or its aftermath.
  •  Aim for non-sensational, sensitive coverage.
  •  Consider carefully the placement and illustration of media reports.
  •  Educate and Inform

Links

Samaritans Media Guidelines

About Us

Over the last decade there have been growing challenges around stakeholder and community communication during and after a time of heightened suicide activity. Whilst there is plentiful information out there for families, friends, communities and representatives during a time of heightened suicide concern, it is often text heavy and difficult to digest, especially at a time of heightened emotions.

This can lead to frustration and communication breakdown between families and friends of loved ones and agencies and community representatives, which in turn can lead to unsafe messaging, media and memorialisation.
Comkit tries to address these challenges by developing an empathic communication toolkit to support families, communities, agencies and representatives in what to do and say at a time of heightened suicide concern.

This toolkit has been developed for Northern Ireland through a co-design process involving:

  •  Over ​​30 industry professionals and academic experts through co-design workshops.
  •  Six 1-to-1 sessions with people with lived experiences through different groups from Families Voices Forum and other organisations.
  •  Presentations to Protect Life Groups across Northern Ireland.
  •  Building on over 5 years of work in the area.

The project builds on challenges identified through the ‘Our Future Foyle’ and ‘Relink’ projects in Northern Ireland.

The voices you hear are from local people with lived experience of losing someone to sucide.

Urban Scale Interventions has produced this tool with support from the Public Health Agency.

For more information contact:
cathal@urbanscaleinterventions

Contact us