Tendency among people to commit #suicide may increase with irresponsible news presentation in media, #mentalhealth experts have said.

On average, 28 persons commit #suicide every day in Bangladesh, data shows. 

"Media has to play a role in preventing #suicide by not publishing the #suicide reports on the first page or at any important space," Helal Uddin Ahmed, associate professor at the #NationalInstituteofMentalHealth (#NIMH), told a programme on 'Responsible Reporting on #Suicide'  on Sunday at NIMH in Dhaka.

In his keynote presentation, Dr Helal also said that there should not be any message in the headlines which suggests that #suicide is a solution to any problem. Besides, there should not be any description of how anyone has committed #suicide and no mention of what type of medicine did anyone use etc. It may help another person commit #suicide successfully. 

Dr Shahidul Islam, programme manager, non-communicable disease (NCD) control at the Directorate General of Health Services said that the tendency to commit #suicide is on the rise.

In presenting news on #suicide, there is a policy of the #WorldHealthOrganization (#WHO) which implies that the word '#suicide' should be avoided in the headlines. It is not possible to implement this in mass media overnight but it should be reduced gradually, he added.

According to the data of #NIMH, over 10,000 people had committed #suicide in 2019 which has risen to 14,436 in 2020. 

www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com

#James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleOrder your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife:From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy
https://standingabovethecrowd.com/2023/01/jamesdonaldson-on-mentalhealth-irresponsible-news-presentation-may-trigger-suicidal-tendency-experts/