How to report on mental health

By the Shrinkopedia editorial team. Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. Published and last reviewed September 29, 2026.

Say "died by suicide," never "committed." Leave out the method, the location details and the note. Name the specific diagnosis only when it's confirmed and relevant, and describe the person, not the label. Include 988. The rest of this guide explains why, shows the words that trip up good reporters, and ends with a checklist you can run in two minutes before filing.

If you're struggling yourself after covering a hard story, you can call or text 988 in the US, any time.

Why the wording matters

This isn't only about tone. The research on media and suicide is some of the most consistent in public health. A 2020 meta-analysis in The BMJ included 20 studies in its main analysis and found that suicides rose 13% in the weeks after the death of a celebrity by suicide was reported. When the story named the method, deaths by that same method rose 30%.

Coverage can also protect. A 2010 study of Austrian newspapers found that stories about people who faced a crisis and coped without suicidal behavior were linked to lower suicide rates afterward. Researchers call this the Papageno effect, after the character in The Magic Flute who is talked out of taking his life.

General reporting on suicide wasn't linked to more deaths in the 2020 review. The risk sits in specific choices: repeated coverage of one death, the method, and framing that makes suicide look like a solution.

Reporting on suicide

These points follow the US Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide and the World Health Organization's 2023 resource for media professionals.

Every story should carry help. The recommendations ask for, at a minimum, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741), or local numbers for readers outside the US. Both sets of guidance also encourage stories of people who got through a suicidal crisis, told in their own words.

Headlines deserve the same care as the body. Keep the method out of them, skip sensational words, and don't use images of the method or the scene.

Words to use and avoid

The American Psychiatric Association's guide for reporters asks three questions first. Is mental illness relevant to this story? What's your source (and is it more than hearsay)? And what's the most accurate word?

Diagnoses most often misused

These words show up in headlines and casual copy with meanings they don't have. Each links to the full entry if you need the clinical picture.

Mental illness and violence

After a violent event, the first question is often whether the person was mentally ill. Be careful with it. The APA's guidance for reporters notes that most people with mental illness are no more likely to be violent than anyone else, and they're more likely to be victims of violence than the general population. Don't report a diagnosis from a neighbor's guess or a social media post. If it isn't confirmed by a clinician or a court record, it isn't a fact.

Public figures

We don't diagnose people we haven't evaluated, and we won't comment on whether a named public figure has a mental illness. We're glad to explain a condition in general terms for a story about someone who has disclosed a diagnosis themselves.

Checklist before you file

• Is the mental health angle relevant, and confirmed by a reliable source?
• Did you name the specific condition rather than "mentally ill"?
• Is the person described as a person, not a diagnosis?
• For suicide: no method, no note content, no detailed location, no single cause.
• Does the headline avoid the method and sensational words?
• Are 988 and the Crisis Text Line in the story, including the online version?
• Did you include hope: treatment works for most people, and recovery is common?

Getting an expert

Every Shrinkopedia entry is written for readers like yours and reviewed by a board-certified psychiatrist. You're welcome to link to any entry as background. For quotes, fact checks or a plain-language explanation on deadline, see our press page. Our open data, including the state of the evidence ratings and the DSM-5-TR to ICD-11 crosswalk, is free to cite and reuse.

Sources

• Reportingonsuicide.org. Best Practices and Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide.
• World Health Organization. Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, update 2023. Geneva: WHO; 2023. ISBN 978-92-4-007684-6.
• American Psychiatric Association. Words Matter: Reporting on Mental Health Conditions.
• National Institute on Drug Abuse. Words Matter: Preferred Language for Talking About Addiction.
• Niederkrotenthaler T, Braun M, Pirkis J, et al. Association between suicide reporting in the media and suicide: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2020;368:m575. doi:10.1136/bmj.m575.
• Niederkrotenthaler T, Voracek M, Herberth A, et al. Role of media reports in completed and prevented suicide: Werther v. Papageno effects. Br J Psychiatry. 2010;197(3):234-243. doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.109.074633.

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Educational reference, not medical or legal advice. If you or someone you know is in crisis in the US, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.