01/4​Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide: Why we need to stop saying “COMMITTED” suicide for once and all

​Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide: Why we need to stop saying “COMMITTED” suicide for once and all

The death of popular Television and Bollywood actorSushant Singh Rajput has sent waves of shock across the entire nation, as family members, fans and members of the film fraternity struggle to cope with the excruciating vacuum left behind by the rising star. The ‘MS Dhoni’ and ‘Kai Po Che’ actor died by suicide at his Bandra residence in Mumbai, yesterday. Several media reports have suggested that the actor was extremely depressed for the last few months and this agony may have led him to this tragic end. However, even as the actor’s death has opened the gates of conversation around mental health conditions and suicide awareness, there is yet another aspect of sensitivity and awareness that needs to be taught and absorbed in our consciousness.

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02/4​The heartless media coverage and insensitive comments

​The heartless media coverage and insensitive comments

While the majority of people are still reeling with shock over the 34-year-old actor’s untimely death, the social media platforms are still laced with insensitive comments over why the actor ‘committed’ suicide, when he apparently had everything going right for him. Just when we thought that humanity cannot stoop any lower, a renowned media house was slammed heavily for tracing the late actor’s house in Patna and urging his father to ‘comment’ over his son’s death. Yes, the quest for TRPs and Breaking News has probably turned us so cold that we have started badgering the unconsolable family members of a dead man for a byte.

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03/4​Sensitive, not sensational: The correct way of reporting a suicide case

​Sensitive, not sensational: The correct way of reporting a suicide case

While practising sensitivity is the bare essential for any piece of reporting by media houses, it becomes extremely essential when talking about an incident of suicide. One of the most ludicrous practice is to use the phrase ‘committed suicide' when reporting a case of suicide. Using sensitive vernacular is of paramount importance, especially at a time when the whole world is struggling with the havoc wreaked by the pandemic.

We need to remember that our words have consequences and we must do everything in our power to make use of the right choice of words when dealing with mental health conditions and suicidal tendencies. The correct choice of words here would be ‘died by suicide’ as it simply implies the cause of death and not how it happened.

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04/4The bottom line

The bottom line

When we use the word “commit”, people may associate it with committing a crime or committing a sin, which actually blames the deceased and makes suicide look like an act of shame or wrongdoing. It actually signifies our poor understanding ofmental health conditions and even stigmatizes the victim further. Case in point, we never say committed a heart attack as we know the cause of illness. Similarly, such sensitivity should also be kept in mind while talking about a suicide victim.

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