Suicidal Behavior in Bangladeshi and Indonesian Media After the Death of an Indian Celebrity by Suicide

Abstract

The Indian cinema industry greatly impacts the world, especially in south Asian nations, Including Bangladesh and Indonesia. This study examines the quality of suicide reporting by media following non-native celebrity suicides in nations with a comparable culture. This study was conducted during one month immediately following the suicide of an Indian celebrity. Two Indonesian and two Bangladeshi investigators collected information about published media reports in regional languages on popular online newspapers of the respective countries. All newspaper articles about suicide behavior published throughout the study period were included. A total of 155 news reports were obtained, of which 56 were from Bangladesh and 99 were from Indonesia. More than half of the news reports from Bangladesh reported the suicide of unmarried people (55.36%). Indonesian reports mentioned gender (57.57%) and age (80.81%) in the majority of reports, followed by the presence of life events and mention of mental illness. Celebrity suicide reports in media catch the attention of more viewers and are likely to have a more intense impact on the general public than any other suicide report. Hence, there is a desperate need to adhere to the media suicide reporting guidelines while reporting suicide stories.