Talking about suicide and LGBT populations

A second consortium of organizations held in 2017 issued revised recommendations to guide both news and social media in safe reporting of suicide events among LGBT populations. The recommendations are intended to promote vital, thoughtful public discussion about the issue and prevent contagion associated with sensational language. The guide is available in Spanish.

The Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations guide is a community-based resource for talking about suicide in ways that minimize contagion risk while at the same time expanding public conversations about the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, promoting the need for family support and acceptance, and encouraging help-seeking by LGBT people who may be contemplating suicide. In addition to 12 practical recommendations on how to talk about suicide in safe and accurate ways, the guide provides information about suicide contagion, bullying and suicide, talking about suicide in social media, and research findings on suicide.

Program Objectives:

Those who read the recommendations will learn to:
1.Reduce the use of language in public communications that may increase risk of suicide contagion.
2.Increase the use of language in public communications that fosters an accurate understanding of suicide and its causes.
3.Increase awareness of, and emphasis on, the need to support the well-being of LGBT people.