The Ghana Association for Suicide Prevention (GASP), in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Psychology at the University of Ghana, has organised a one-day capacity-building workshop aimed at promoting ethical, accurate, and responsible reporting on suicide among media practitioners.
The workshop sought to deepen journalists’ understanding of the World Health Organization’s guidelines on suicide reporting, while also equipping participants with practical skills to apply Ghana’s localised media standards on suicide-related coverage. The initiative forms part of broader national efforts to strengthen suicide prevention through responsible public communication.
Held under the theme “Role of Media in Suicide Prevention in Ghana: Application of the Ghana Guidelines for Appropriate Media Reporting of Suicide (GGAMRS) and the Ghana Suicide Reporting Scorecard (GSRS)”, the programme brought together media professionals from the Greater Accra, Central Volta, and Eastern Regions.
Speaking at the workshop, the President of GASP, Professor Emmanuel Nii-Boye Quarshie, highlighted the scale of the global suicide challenge, noting that an estimated 727,000 people died by suicide worldwide in 2021. He explained that about 73 per cent of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, underscoring the urgency for targeted prevention efforts in such settings.
Focusing on Ghana, Prof. Quarshie revealed that approximately 8.1 out of every 100,000 people die as a result of suicide. He stressed that suicide is a complex phenomenon influenced by multiple social, psychological, and economic factors, and cannot be attributed to a single cause.
He emphasised the critical role of the media in suicide prevention, stating that journalists have the power to either support prevention efforts or unintentionally contribute to harm through the way suicide is reported. According to him, individuals experiencing suicidal distress often think in narrow and hopeless ways, making it essential for media narratives to broaden perspectives, promote help-seeking behaviour, and instil hope rather than reinforce despair.
Professor Joseph Osarfo, a Patron of GASP, cautioned journalists and digital content publishers against relying heavily on unverified online sources when reporting on suicide-related issues. He warned that poorly sourced or misleading information could cause significant harm and urged media practitioners to verify the credibility of all sources before publication.
He further advised that hyperlinks included in suicide-related stories should lead audiences to credible, evidence-based prevention and support resources, rather than unregulated or sensational content that could worsen distress.
Also speaking at the event, the Secretary of GASP, Dr Johnny Andoh-Arthur, warned that irresponsible or sensational reporting of suicide could influence public behaviour and encourage imitation, particularly among vulnerable groups. He stressed the need for high ethical sensitivity in suicide-related reporting.
Dr Andoh-Arthur advised journalists to avoid giving such stories front-page prominence and cautioned against publishing explicit details about suicide methods, personal notes, or graphic images of deceased persons. He noted that adherence to professional and ethical standards is essential in protecting public mental health.
Participants at the workshop were provided with practical tools and reference materials designed to guide responsible suicide reporting. The organisers expressed confidence that the training would contribute to more ethical media coverage and strengthen national suicide prevention efforts through informed and sensitive journalism.
Story by: Ernest Frimpong (+233247220948)
