A newspaper editor designs a media guideline for reporting celebrity suicides. Which reporting practice has been shown to REDUCE population suicide rates rather than increase them?

• A Featuring stories of individuals who coped with similar crises ✓
• B Publishing the story prominently on the front page
• C Describing the method of death in detail
• D Framing the death as a heroic romantic act

Explanation

The Papageno effect describes the protective impact of media stories that emphasise coping, help seeking, and recovery from crisis, which is associated with reduced suicidal behaviour. Sensationalised, prominent coverage detailing method and framing suicide as romantic or heroic exemplifies the Werther effect, which reliably increases imitation suicides. Detailed method description also facilitates identification and contagion through imitation.

Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.