Responsible Reporting on Mental Health, Mental Illness and Death by Suicide

On the basis of her published research, Dr Duncan was commissioned by the National Union of Journalists (Scotland) to revise and enhance their existing media guidelines on reporting mental health and suicide. The guidelines were launched on November 7, 2014, at a public seminar at the University of Strathclyde, hosted by Dr Duncan. The revised guidelines address vital issues in contemporary journalism ethics by including new sections offering advice on best practice in interacting with the bereaved and appropriate use of social media in mental health and suicide reporting. Dr Duncan’s research findings appear explicitly in the following sections of the new guidelines: Digital Media Reporting of Mental Health and Suicide; Interviewing a Person with a Past or Current Mental Illness; Working with the Bereaved; What it’s like to be a Bereaved Person; and Interview Tips and Appropriate Angles to Pursue: During the interview; After the interview.