Mariannet, as a news report detailed, committed suicide out of “quiet desperation over her school absences and her inability to catch up with school work,” brought on in part by her family’s poverty. The claim or conjecture is bolstered by the young girl’s diary, where she wrote down her feelings of increasing frustration and despair about her and her parents’ ever finding a way out of their dire situation. Mentioned as further proof of her desperation is an apparently unsent letter to a TV show premised on granting poor viewers their wishes, which Mariannet apparently believed offered some form of relief, if not salvation.
Her story is certainly grist for melodrama, and I won’t be surprised if it is someday turned into prime time soap material. It is also rich material from which to mine all sorts of political insights—from the symbolic power of her act, to the shame she brings to all those who had the power to help her but did not, to the larger implications of her life, standing for the millions of Filipinos living on the knife-edge of daily despair.
But it is also easy to over-read Mariannet’s symbolism, and especially to misread her motivations. She may have indeed been burdened by her poverty. But we do not know if this was indeed her reason for committing suicide. For all we know, Mariannet may have been suffering from depression, which is different from being merely sad or frustrated, and which afflicts both the economically disadvantaged and the wealthy.
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“SUICIDE is a complex phenomenon that has attracted the attention of philosophers, theologians, physicians, sociologists and artists over the centuries,” states a media guide on the coverage of suicide. “As a serious public health problem it demands our attention, but its prevention and control, unfortunately, are no easy task. State-of-the-art research indicates that the prevention of suicide, while feasible, involves a whole series of activities, ranging from the provision of the best possible condition for bringing up our children and youth, through the effective treatment of mental disorders, to the environmental control of risk factors. Appropriate dissemination of information and awareness-raising are essential elements in the success of suicide prevention programmes.”
This is where the media coverage of Mariannet’s suicide, as well as those of celebrities or even of those bungled attempts by a string of unhinged or spaced-out individuals climbing billboards and threatening to jump from them, comes into focus.
“Suicide is often newsworthy and the media have the right to report it,” say the writers of “Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals,” prepared by the Suicide Prevention Initiative of the World Health Organization. But studies have shown that “some forms of non-fictional newspaper and television coverage of suicide are associated with a statistically significant excess of suicide,” with the impact appearing to be strongest among young people.
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THE GUIDE makes clear that “the majority of suicides are not reported in the media.” But the majority of suicides “most likely to attract the attention of the media are those that depart from usual patterns. In fact, it is striking that cases presented in the media are almost invariably atypical and uncommon, and to represent them as typical further perpetuates misinformation about suicide.”
The writers also express concern that “publicity about suicide might make the idea of suicide seem ‘normal.’ Repeated and continual coverage of suicide tends to induce and promote suicidal preoccupations, particularly among adolescents and young adults.”
I should also point out that premature “canonization” of suicide victims may create the impression that taking one’s life is the “heroic” response to life’s difficulties, to heartache, or to boredom. People who take their own lives, especially young people, are certainly not to “blame” for their own deaths. But it is also unfair to go on an expedition of “blaming,” whether it be the victim’s family, loved ones, colleagues or even the national leadership.
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AMONG THE guidelines suggested for the media:
Sensational coverage of suicides should be assiduously avoided, particularly when a celebrity is involved …. Any mental health problems the celebrity may have had should also be acknowledged. And, “front-page headlines are never the ideal location for suicide reports.”
Detailed descriptions of the method used and how the method was procured should be avoided. Research has shown that media coverage of suicide has a greater impact on the method of suicide adopted than the frequency of suicides. Certain locations are traditionally associated with suicide and added publicity increases the risk that more people will use them.
Suicide should not be reported as unexplainable or in a simplistic way. Suicide is never the result of a single factor or event. It is usually caused by a complex interaction of many factors such as mental and physical illness, substance abuse, family disturbances, interpersonal conflicts and life stressors. Acknowledging that a variety of factors contributes to suicide would be helpful.
The guide also suggests that suicide should not be depicted “as a method of coping with personal problems such as bankruptcy, failure to pass an examination, or sexual abuse.” On the other hand, taking into account the impact of suicide on families and other survivors, as well as describing the physical consequences of non-fatal suicide attempts, may help stem the occurrence of “copycat” suicides.
from: Reporting on suicide
