The topic of suicide should always be approached with care and compassion. It is important to use sensitive and non-stigmatising language when engaging in a conversation, talking or writing about suicide.
Using language and words that are helpful and respectful, will encourage open and safe conversations about suicide, and its prevention. They can help to create environments that are free of stigma, judgment or prejudice.
These principles can also be applied when talking about self-harm.
Use person-centred language
Avoid using labels when referring to people. Do not identify a person solely by their mental health difficulty and never use ‘a suicide’ as a noun to describe a person. This could dehumanise the person and minimise their experiences.
Use phrases such as
- People with…
- A person who has died by suicide…
- A person who is thinking about suicide…
- People who have experienced a suicide attempt…
- People bereaved by suicide…
- Person impacted/affected by suicide…
- People with lived experience related to suicide…
Do not use phrases such as
- A suicide…
- A suicide victim…
Use non-judgmental terms
Do not assume to know what a person has experienced or their intentions. For example:
- Using the term ‘commit suicide’ can imply a sin, criminal offence or act, and therefore can be stigmatising – of the person who has died, or of people who have been bereaved. The act of suicide was decriminalised in Ireland in 1993 and the term 'commit/committed suicide' should always be avoided.
- It can be sensitive and appropriate to refer to a death by 'suspected' or 'probable' suicide, especially in the early days. It can take some time for the authorities to find evidence of death by suicide (or not), and officially record a persons death as intentional (or not).
In general, use neutral and simple terms such as
- Die by suicide…
- Died by suicide…
- Death by suicide…
- Ended his/her/their own life…
- Self-harm…
Do not use terms that present suicide a desired outcome, such as;
- Successful/unsuccessful suicide…
- Completed suicide…
- Incomplete suicide…
- Deliberate self-harm…
Avoid other harmful language
Avoid other excessive or gratuitous use of the word 'suicide'. For example, phrases like ‘suicide hotspot’, ‘suicide epidemic’ or ‘suicide mission’.
These are insensitive and inappropriate. They can be harmful for people who are vulnerable themselves, or for people who have been bereaved by suicide.
More information
Samaritans Ireland Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide
Research evidence shows that certain types of media depictions, such as explicitly describing a method, sensational and excessive reporting, can lead to imitational suicidal behaviour among vulnerable people. Samaritans Ireland Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide have been produced following extensive consultation with journalists and editors throughout the industry. They promote the highest standards in reporting, depicting or discussing suicide.
Headline
Headline is Ireland’s national programme for responsible reporting, and representation of mental illness and suicide. Their objective is to work as collaboratively as possible with Irish media professionals across print, broadcast, and online platforms to reduce the effects of suicide contagion, and the stigma attached to mental ill health.
