A MENTAL health advocate is calling on the media to stop reporting suicide cases as these can trigger more suicide attempts.
Jaymee Leonen, head of the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Psychosocial Division, said based on research and psychology literature, persons who have suicidal thoughts tend to act their suicidal ideas on when they hear graphic reports of suicides.
“We are appealing to the media recognizing that the media have a very big impact or influence over the mental health of their listeners,” she said.
Leonen said it will be a great help if reports on the mental health services and psychoeducation are given more attention and spotlights in the news reports.
However Joey Nacabalan, a reporter for a local daily newspaper, disagrees with Leonen’s statement.
“You cannot stop the media from reporting anything or anyone. Importante siya kay daw bi kung 1,000 na diay kabuok cases of suicide, but we don’t know kay wala man reports,” Nacalaban said.
(You cannot stop the media from reporting anything or anyone. It’s important to inform people say, if there are already 1,000 cases of suicide, but we don’t know because there are no reports.)
“We should still report it but responsibly. Reporting it also helps shed light on the problem,” he added.
For his part, Mars Medina, also a reporter, meanwhile agrees leaving out suicide cases from the daily news cycle.
“I agree nga maka-trigger siya, that’s based on facts and research,” he added.
Leonen meanwhile lauded the recent move of City Mayor Oscar Moreno, issuing an executive order for the creation of the Cagayan de Oro Mental Health Council.
With the council, Leonen hopes that the city government will build a more established system and more funding for an efficient delivery of mental health services.
The CSWD last week also launched a help line for those persons with suicidal thoughts on 09758403585. The help line is available from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.