How to report responsibly on firearm suicide

Gun violence — with firearm suicide outranking homicide — continues to be the No. 1 cause of death for children and teens in the U.S., said KFF Health News’ Cara Anthony at AHCJ’s summit on mental and behavioral health. 

More than 10,000 youth from 1 to 24 years old will die by firearms every year, according to panelist Lois Lee, M.D., MPH, with Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. That’s roughly equivalent to one full school bus every three days.

An estimated 4.6 million children in the U.S. live in households with access to unlocked and loaded firearms, Lee said. And since several states don’t require firearm registration, this number is likely much higher.

Whose gun is used for suicide?

• Adult males: 88% used their own gun
• Adult women: 52% used their own gun, 32% used their partner’s.
• Youth ages 18-20: 42% used their own gun, 43% used a family member’s, and 8% used a friend’s.
• Children under 18: 19% used their own gun, 79% used a family member’s.

Research shows that nine out of 10 people who attempt suicide will survive and not die by suicide at a later date. 

“But if you try to kill yourself by firearm, more than 90% of the time, you will die,” said Lee. “If you try to kill yourself with an overdose, more than 95% of the time, you will survive. Why? Because you have time for regret.”

Since children are very impulsive, what they access to when thinking about suicide “is going to be the difference between living and dying,” she added.

Changing your reporting

As firearm suicide rates among children continue to climb, especially for Black youth, panelists reminded journalists that how they report on suicide is fundamental for suicide prevention. Panelist Jill Harkavy-Friedman, Ph.D., with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, provided some phrases to avoid and what to replace them with in your reporting:

“Like any other health condition, you say the person died by suicide, just like they died of heart attack, or they died of cancer,” said Harkavy-Friedman. She added that it’s also wrong to say “successful” or “failed” attempt,” because “it’s not the Olympics. You don’t get a grade on your suicide attempt.”

The scope of the problem of suicide in the U.S. from Harkavy-Friedman, using CDC data that examined suicide in 2022.

• 49,476 people died by suicide, approximately one death every 11 minutes.
• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death.
• 3.85 times more men than women die by suicide.
• 68.5% of suicide deaths are white males.
• Native Americans and Alaska Natives have the highest rate of suicide.

Another thing to avoid in your reporting is attributing somebody’s suicide to a specific reason like losing a job, breaking up a relationship, etc. These stress points have to coincide with biological, psychological, social and environmental factors, and, importantly, access to lethal means.

“There’s never one single cause of suicide,” said Harkavy-Friedman. “It’s complex, and it’s dynamic.”

AFSP Resources

• Guidelines for reporting on suicide prevention
• AFSP’s top 10 tips for reporting on suicide
• Contact their PR department at:
  • pr@afsp.org
  • JHarkavyFriedman@afsp.org 

AAP Resources

• Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention describes clinical and community strategies to address youth suicide prevention, including information on safety planning and lethal means safety counseling
• Gun Safety and Injury Prevention page includes professional tools and resources, including a video series designed to support health professional help families take steps towards secure storage
• Gun Safety Campaign Toolkit offers social media graphics, videos, and more related to firearm safety. 
• Safer: Storing Firearms Prevents Harm course describes universal firearm injury prevention guidance for pediatric providers and is available for free, offering MOC credit
• CALM course provides training on how to counsel about firearm safety and is free, offering MOC credit