Changing the Narrative of Suicide Reporting in Nigeria

In the last four years, the Nigerian media reported 264 suicide cases in Nigeria. Ayodeji Ake writes that ‘The Morning After’, a recently launched book on suicide reporting, will awaken the consciousness of Nigerian journalists in reporting suicide cases in accordance to the WHO guidelines, just as it will influence policy makers to make laws that will not criminalise suicide, rather treat it as a mental health issue

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 800,000 deaths are recorded every year worldwide with more than 20 suicide attempts for each suicide.

In Nigeria, the media have reported that 264 deaths were recorded in four years between 2017 to 2020. Given the alarming statistics, medical experts and journalists have blamed the increasing suicide rate on many factors including poor reporting and sensationalising suicide reports.

Although ‘Preventing Suicide, A Resource for Media Professionals’ as published by the WHO in 2008, made provisions for guidelines in reporting suicide cases to reduce to the barest minimum suicides cases, the reverse has been the case. Sadly, journalists omit these guidelines in their reports.

Changing the Narrative

To change the narrative, a virtual book launch, presenting ‘The Morning After’ written by a Psychiatrist, Dr. Olufemi Oluwatayo and Health Journalist, THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Martins Ifijeh, held recently. The book’s

unveiling a book will foster mental health guide on suicide and reporting of suicide in Nigeria.

The book was presented by The Retreat Healthcare Lagos and The Nous Foundation Nigeria in collaboration with the Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN).

According to one of the authors, Martins Ifijeh, who noted that the book was written to bring to the fore the WHO guidelines for suicide reporting to curb the increasing suicide scores, “three

things why I wrote the book: there have been WHO guidelines for suicide reporting which I’m sure before now that journalists are not aware of the guidelines in Africa especially in Nigeria. In the last four years, 264 suicide cases have been reported in the media from January 2017 till late 2020. Checking those reports, none of the WHO guidelines were reflected in the reports.

“The reason why the guidelines were developed is simply because journalist shouldn’t fuel suicide and there are specific ways of writing suicide reports. Truly, some countries have been using the guidelines but we have never used it. This prompted the idea of bringing the guidelines home and finding a way of domesticating the guidelines. If we reflect on stories that have been written, we will discover that more damages have been done than good. We want to see how we can do good stories and research to uncover how our reports have affected our society generally, probably positively or negatively”.

For Olufemi Oluwatayo, he saw ‘The Morning After’ as a manual Nigerian journalists should reflect on while reporting suicide cases.

“It took us a long journey to get here. I have had comments that the name ‘ The Morning After’ does not do justice to the book. We came about the title when we were thinking about how to reflect the messages in the book. We want when journalists write, to reflect on the content of the report. When everyone wakes up in the morning, we reflect on the previous day and we reason about the impact on the people, family, and society.

“The reason why this book is important is that it’s a book written by a journalist and a psychiatrist. We both are experts in our various fields which we collapsed our experiences into this book which gives it credibility. In addition, we have recommended ways and manners suicide should be perceived and be reported in Nigeria. We want the journalists to self-regulate. We are ready as a mental health organisation to partner them because no one wants to die depressed,” he said.

One of the special guests reviewers, Dr. Femi Olugbile, a Consultant Psychiatrist, in his submissions, noted that the guidelines of reporting suicide should not be limited to mainstream media alone but also to the new media, who are currently taking space today.

“We are not only concerned about the mainstream media but also the new media which has admitted a large number of citizen reporters who often do not get the facts but also speculate and they are not bound by journalistic practices, these are those we also want to bring to the fore. The mainstream also have a lot to attempt while reporting suicide cases as regards the family of the deceased and the society.

“Another vital point is victimisation by the victim’s family; probably the wife. She will become a target and speculations will keep flying around if she has pushed her husband to suicide. And such speculations will make life almost unbearable for the immediate and extended family.

“A good point raised on the book is that for any suicide or suicidal attempt, there is a medical reason for it. Majority of people who have committed suicide had a diagnosable psychiatric error. That means in reality, it’s not a criminal condition but a medical condition. But the current pattern in our society by which suicide is brought to public attention it’s through criminal reportage” he said.

Speaking further, he highlighted the recommendations of the book which includes change in language.

“The recommendations in the book spelt out a change in the language in suicide reporting. They are recommending ideas that suicide is essentially a medical issue deserving sympathy , empathy and specialised attention rather than the criminal justice system.

” On the part of the people, press is the bridge of actualities in the society including the matters of suicide and the general public. The idea of getting the press to the side of the me talk health workforce is not new.

“The people who are the bridge between the subject and the society need to be knowledgeable to become appropriate vehicles of helping to manage the causes of suicide and help to keep to the barest minimum by cultivating empathy. It’s not about writing sensational headlines but we need to think deeply about the effect on the family and society,” he said.

In the same vein of commendation and book review, Chair, THISDAY Newspapers Editorial Board, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, said the book ‘The Morning After’ is timely especially in these periods of economic instability and COVID-19.

“I want to congratulate the authors for this highly revealing and also very important book especially at a time like this. I remember in 2002, when a friend narrated how a colleague told him she wants to go to a psychiatric hospital and in this part of the world we immediately attach negativity to that which consequently, we have pushed a lot of people over the edge. When Martins Ifijeh told me he was writing this book with his colleague who is a medical doctor, I felt elated about it and I told him I will contribute to it.

“I have read a lot about mental health and what I have is that not every wound is visible. Some of the silent battles we fight are not things people can easily see. You see someone drive to the bridge, get parked and jump. These processes are not normal. These are health issues we don’t know in our society and with more reading of books, the more we know. This is a book I will recommend especially for a society like ours and I hope,” he said.

HEWAN Canvasses for Training on Suicide Reporting

For appropriate suicide reportage, the Health Writers Association Nigeria (HEWAN), has proposed training of media practitioners.

Speaking at the virtual launch, the President HEWAN, Mrs. Chioma Obinna, while concurring to the recommendations conveyed in the book on language change, noted lack of training has done more harm than good in suicide reporting in Nigeria.

“A lot have been said and I feel somehow ashamed of the media about what the book has said about our reportage of suicide. It is no more news that Nigeria is experiencing an increase in suicide cases but the unfortunate thing is that some of these cases has been linked to the wrong way journalists report suicide.

“Although the media is meant to play a critical role in educating the public on mental illness, lack of training has done more harm than good in their reportage of suicide.

“When suicide is inappropriately reported, it fuels stigma. From the book, we have been made to understand that when you use the word ‘commit’ it’s tagging suicide a crime and not an health condition. Another thing to be highlighted is that suicide cases are reported by crime reporters instead of health reporters, which is also a huge problem. According to WHO, if suicide is reported responsibly, it reduces suicidal behaviors in the society but unfortunately, in this part of the world, the media tends to sensationalise the headlines. Another problem is the use of language. These are the reasons why we are canvassing for training,” she said.

Suicide as Mental Illness not Criminal Offence

One of the authors, Martins Ifijeh, had during his talk advocated a revisit of the Nigeria laws on suicide, adding that they are obsolete.

“We still have old mental laws in Nigeria. We still have some bizarre laws in the country where we have criminalised suicide, whereas in the actual sense, suicides are health issues. When reporting suicide, the health angle should be reflected on.

“Rather than interview the police alone on suicide matters, the health experts should be also interviewed. With this report, people will begin to subconsciously reason why suicide is an health issue and not criminal issue”.

“This book is not just for journalists alone, but I’m sure policy makers will also see reasons why they should adopt some of the recommendations in this book. The Lagos State government has started doing something but other states are still behind even the federal government.

” There is a mental health bill in the house for about 10 years now and they have been unable to pass the bill because maybe only few people understand why the laws should be changed. From countries where these laws are picked from, they have all moved on so should we too from old laws,” he said.

Commendation

On his part, former Senate Chairman, Committee on Health, Sen. Lanre Tejuoso, applauded the authors for the insightful book on suicide preventions and reportage in Nigeria.

He acknowledged that the book will serve as guidelines to Nigerian journalists and other policy makers in reducing suicide cases to the barest minimum.

“This book is very relevant in amending the mental health bill. The message to journalists is a very important, and I would have loved them to replicate the guidelines in reporting kidnapping in Nigeria because the way kidnapping is being reported is more like giving a roadmap to kidnappers.

“In four years, Nigeria media reported 264 suicide cases across the country. For the reported cases, not many reported in accordance of the WHO guidelines of reporting suicide. What we are insinuating here is that the media shouldn’t trigger for more suicide cases via their reportage .

“This book has taken the pain to explain how irresponsible reporting has led to more suicide cases. It went further to domesticate globally acceptable suicide reportage and guidelines for Nigeria to ensure journalists follow guidance. We must disallow suicide epidemic. I commended the pains of the authors to bring this important point to the fore,” he said.

‘The Morning After’ launch was a wrap with identified sponsorship of training for 30 journalists across Nigeria on appropriate suicide reporting.