With suicide rates now double the road toll, mental health expert Professor Patrick McGorry says hearing stories from people who have survived suicide attempts is an important step in suicide prevention.
- Professor McGorry says changing guidelines could start a conversation about suicide
- He says suicide attempt stories could dissuade, not encourage people
- Mindframe advises against publishing details of suicides
A former Australian of the Year, Professor McGorry has previously called for a softening of media guidelines around reporting suicide in an effort to start a conversation about the issue.
And he says there is great value in hearing survivors' stories.
He was speaking to the Tall Tales & True podcast after it featured the story of Donna Thistlethwaite, who survived a 40-metre fall from Brisbane's Story Bridge.
"I think it's vital [to hear these stories]. I think it's the position the media is put in, by, probably, our profession, out of fear that somehow it is going to be contagious," he said.
Professor McGorry said the message from almost everyone who had survived a suicide attempt would actually dissuade others, not encourage them.
"Almost in every case the person regrets the decision to make that attempt and is very grateful to have survived," he said.
"So I think it's a very important message to tell. It has the opposite effect that some of my colleagues are afraid of."
Professor McGorry acknowledged that the general public did not usually hear from people who had attempted suicide.
"There are thousands of people who die every year. We don't hear their story, so it's very important for us to be listening to [the survivors]," he said.
"It's definitely too dangerous not to have these conversations, because by not having it there's been inertia."
He said that with the suicide rate now double the road toll and still rising, it was time to look at ways to get a stronger preventative message across to Australians.
"Just think back to how the road toll galvanised people 20 or 30 years ago to take action to prevent and respond to those preventable deaths.
"Here we have over 3,000 preventable deaths every year, and I think in excess of 60-80,000 suicide attempts, and what we've had really is inaction for a long period," he said.
"It really needs to be taken a lot more seriously and with more confidence that we can actually tackle it — just like we do with the road toll."
Media guidelines do not restrict coverage: Mindframe
Mindframe, a program managed by the Hunter Institute of Mental Health, advises Australian media organisations on how they should safely report suicide.
Its media guidelines state: "Stories about suicide and suicide bereavement can provide opportunities for increased awareness and discussion about the impact of suicide. However, people bereaved by suicide may be vulnerable or at risk of suicide themselves."
Hunter Institute of Mental Health director Jaelea Skehan said while Mindframe recommended journalists refrained from reporting some details such as the method and location of a death, and try "not glorifying or glamorising the death in any way", it was a misconception the initiative worked to restrict media coverage of suicide.
She said Mindframe instead provided journalists with resources to help them report on suicide safely, and that included helping them positively contribute to dialogue about suicide by telling the stories of survivors.
"I've just come back from an international conference looking at progress around media guidelines around the world, and Australia is still held up as international best practice — not just in the guidelines, but also how the media is helping with more safe reporting and helping have the conversation about suicide," she said.
Ms Skehan said Mindframe's media resources were last updated in 2014.