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I think coverage can influence effect here Talk about it like "Someone stood on the tracks and killed themselves", and now every suicidal person who sees the t

by rtpg 10y ago

I think coverage can influence effect here Talk about it like "Someone stood on the tracks and killed themselves", and now every suicidal person who sees the track think about that. Many suicides are impulsive acts (helped by a state of mind, but few have the willpower to plan their suicide), so these tiny facts that can influence people in need can kill them. Avoiding specifics of the death can be enough to avoid copycat behavior, because it remains a bit abstract. Instead, covering it as "we want everyone to know that there are these programs that we have in place for those suffering" (and of course having a real feedback loop). Then if only a couple people go in after reading this, you have done some good! Our mental state is the combination of many tiny positives and negatives. Contributing even just a small amount might be enough to get someone into proper treatment. (Amazon should also be doing its own work to figure out if changes are needed. We spend a good chunk of our lives in the workplace)

jimmywanger 10y ago
> Instead, covering it as "we want everyone to know that there are these programs that we have in place for those suffering" (and of course having a real feedback loop). That should be done regardless of whether or not there are suicides/attempts. That's orthogonal to the original point, which is that attention paid to a suicide tends to encourage copycat suicides. Just ignore the fact that they existed and you can do a much better job ameliorating these things. Why even give them any news coverage at all or acknowledgement?
- rtpg 10y ago
  I've had classmates pass away. The school would then run counseling sessions for those who wanted it. It wasn't to talk about how the classmate passed away, but to talk about how to accept this and manage it. When a person close to you dies, you likely want some of these services. Now, I don't think we should be talking about how these cases happen (because of what you bring up). But people close to the situation do get affected. They hear about it outside the news, and might personally know the person. They deserve help.
  - jimmywanger 10y ago
    > It wasn't to talk about how the classmate passed away, but to talk about how to accept this and manage it. You're missing the point. By doing anything out of the ordinary when something like this happens, you're giving it attention and calling it out. It'd be like making safe driving classes available everytime somebody dies in a drunk driving accident. These classes and service should exist regardless.

by rtpg 10y ago

jimmywanger 10y ago

> Instead, covering it as "we want everyone to know that there are these programs that we have in place for those suffering" (and of course having a real feedback loop). That should be done regardless of whether or not there are suicides/attempts. That's orthogonal to the original point, which is that attention paid to a suicide tends to encourage copycat suicides. Just ignore the fact that they existed and you can do a much better job ameliorating these things. Why even give them any news coverage at all or acknowledgement?

rtpg 10y ago
I've had classmates pass away. The school would then run counseling sessions for those who wanted it. It wasn't to talk about how the classmate passed away, but to talk about how to accept this and manage it. When a person close to you dies, you likely want some of these services. Now, I don't think we should be talking about how these cases happen (because of what you bring up). But people close to the situation do get affected. They hear about it outside the news, and might personally know the person. They deserve help.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > It wasn't to talk about how the classmate passed away, but to talk about how to accept this and manage it. You're missing the point. By doing anything out of the ordinary when something like this happens, you're giving it attention and calling it out. It'd be like making safe driving classes available everytime somebody dies in a drunk driving accident. These classes and service should exist regardless.