Celebrities, Media and Suicide
By: Pallavi Y
Tags: Media Criticism, Social Media, Suicide, Celebrity, Indian Cinema

Suicide is a serious public health problem that demands our attention, but its prevention and control, unfortunately, are no easy task.

There are many misconceptions about suicide, and the media can play an important role in dispelling various myths. The factors that lead a person to suicide are numerous and complex and should not be reported in a simplistic way. While mental illness is a strong predictor of suicide, impulsiveness plays a big role.

Suicide is not a new issue, especially not in celebrity circles. Taking one’s own life is not limited to a particular line of work. With the wide outreach of media, the impact of losing a celebrity hits harder.

In the months following the death of Robin Williams, the suicide rates increased by 9.85% in the US.

Robin Williams, the award-winning Hollywood actor, took his own life in 2014

Media does its job by covering the stories, the lives of the celebrities, all up until their death. The impact of this hits in two ways.

While exposing people’s indifferent attitude towards the mental wellness of celebrities and also their own, media helps put a spotlight on the importance of taking care and shows various ways to improve one’s mental health. This flurry of information might influence a person to get help on time.

But on the other hand, it is portrayed that people suffering from mental health disorders are doomed and are likely to take the extreme step sooner or later. This has a negative impact on the audience.

A constant flow of social media posts, television stories, and newspaper articles on suicide can act as a trigger for vulnerable patients with mental health issues. The media coverage of suicide cases of celebrities may influence not only suicidal behaviours but also the choice of the suicide method.

Sushant Singh Rajput, hanged himself in his Mumbai home in 2020

We recently lost an actor who was dear to us all- Sushant Singh Rajput. Since word got out in June that the actor’s death by suicide was presumably an outcome of depression, a hasty, insensitive, and ill-informed discussion on mental illness followed, worsening matters for those facing similar issues. To exacerbate this precarious situation, comments on Rajput’s last Instagram post range from blaming his bachelorhood for his suicide to lack of true friends in the industry being the real problem.

How does this influence the general public?

Learning that your idol is no more can create a hole in you. After the actor’s death, there were several tragic incidents of fans committing suicide citing unbearable grief and pain. When a successful celebrity takes their own life, it becomes difficult to make sense of it. It can make us question the whys — our own reason for living. A celebrity’s death has a deeper impact than we can imagine.

Chester Bennington, Linkin Park lead singer, hanged himself in 2017

It can be the ‘tipping point’, which gives them permission to act on what they had so far just been thinking about. A celebrity committing suicide normalizes the idea of taking one’s own life in the minds of people who are vulnerable. Sometimes fans and people around them follow their footsteps and copy the celebrity’s actions leading to Copy-Cat suicide. Nevertheless, the actual reason behind the suicide clusters that happen is hard to comprehend.

Let’s talk about mental health

The deaths of celebrities sparked conversations about mental health. The level of understanding that people have is uncovered. Responses like “Why don’t you just call a friend?” or “There’s always another way” is proof that the majority of Indians are clueless when it comes to addressing these serious issues and conversing with people having suicidal tendencies.

It has also stirred up conversations and debates on social media about the loneliness in Bollywood, the pressures of failure and success as a celebrity, making it clear that it is not any different or easier for them.

Jiah Khan, a Bollywood actress, hanged herself in her Mumbai home in 2013

While we have come a long way regarding openly talking about mental health, especially with celebrities opening up about their struggles, it still remains a stigma among many. We live in a world where people still think that mental health is not a serious matter

Insensitive judgement and unwarranted suggestions demotivate people to speak up. There are families who discourage sharing and we, as a society promote secrecy when it comes to discussing one’s mental state.

The current situation and Building awareness

Experts claim that a lack of understanding of this sensitive subject prevents people from reaching out.

While some show signs that can indicate suicidal tendencies, there are many who may never say or do anything to indicate that they may end their life.

Suicide is usually an unexpected event, no one would see it coming, so looking for small signs could be the way to change one’s fate. Talking about suicide, seeking access to means such as guns, pills, or anything that could be used in a suicide, self-loathing, and giving away prized possessions, or making arrangements for family members are some potential indicators.

It is a wake-up call for mental health professionals to make platforms available 24/7 and publicise, giving people a way to reach out for help. Appropriate dissemination of information and awareness should be the cornerstone of suicide prevention programmes. It needs to be implemented on a large scale, being accessible and affordable to all. Creating awareness through promotional channels, movies displaying the positive ramifications of interventions whilst telling the world that second chances do exist is the need of the hour

The thought of suicide is a great consolation: by means of it, one gets through many a dark night. -Friedrich Nietzsche, German Philosopher (1845–1902)

No matter how repetitive it might get, people need to know that it does get better. The increasing suicide rates gives us the statistical evidence for how media’s portrayal of suicide encourages imitative behaviour. Be it a celebrity or a layman, every life matters.

The way forward is to break the stigma while still exercising caution when reporting suicide. This could go a long way in sensitizing people about suicide, and why not to resort to such extreme step.