National Recommendations for Depicting Suicide

This resource provides the first-ever national recommendations for depicting suicide in entertainment content. Studies have found that the way the media covers suicide can influence behavior negatively, by contributing to increased suicidal behavior among viewers, or positively, by encouraging help-seeking and recovery. These recommendations aim to help members of the entertainment industry—content creators, scriptwriters, producers—tell more balanced and authentic stories involving suicide that promote hope and healing. Representatives from the entertainment industry and the suicide prevention field provided input on the recommendations, which advance goal four of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.