celebrity suicide & the media

I will start this off respectfully by saying, poor Charlotte & her grieving loved ones. I hope the family are given the space and time they need without the hideous press knocking on their doors.

I will bang on about suicide awareness and prevention for the rest of my days, that is for sure. What has really pissed me off is the looming question of "how did she do it" and now that we know how she did it, we shall pass a judgement and comment. Since when was it the right of the public to know how anyone spends their final hours? Charlotte like many celebrities (and non-celebrities) before her completed suicide. Note that I refuse to use the word 'committed' as I do not see suicide as a crime but rather a tragic end to one's battle with their inner demons.

It has been on my mind and I debated whether or not to comment on Charlotte's death. This isn't really about her though is it? It is more about the hunger the public has to know every intimate detail of celebrity life and death. It is disgusting! How she completed the act is irrelevant to me, just as it is when someone dies of cancer or a stroke or any other disease for that matter.  They died. It is sad and horrible for those close to that person.  Do I need to know how your uncle, grandparent, friend or pet spent their final day and what the final complication was that took them from this life? I don't. I just know that I am sad for you, for them and for anyone effected.

How anyone spends their last moments in this life is not up for public speculation, gossip or judgement. I wish the media could be forced to not report on methods of suicide but rather focus on the tragedy that suicide brings our community.  I read about Charlotte's method of suicide via facebook and it made me terribly sad. I know it also triggered emotions and flashbacks for people I know and care about dearly. Pretty sure this is not the goal of suicide.  From what I have read suicide is about ending suffering (not life), so why does our media insist on inflicting suffering on others that might be vulnerable and/or sensitive to this kind of detail?  Suicide is not a rare event. Chances are we are all going to know a few people that have attempted it and probably some who go through with it.  I don't know what we can do to make our media respectful to both the dead and those that are left behind but something needs to change. It needs to change now.

And because this is my blog and I am focusing on doing what I can for those in crisis, please check out my fundraising page here. If you have been bereaved by suicide and want to chat with others who have been through it too you can join my support group here. Thank you. Xx