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Suicide "Post-vention" Done Right

Milosz Reterski
/
Navy NewsStand
Robin Williams's death catalyzed a flood of suicide coverage in the media. Beck-Cross explains there are best practices in covering this type of death that news media need to follow.

Robin Williams's death has dominated news coverage in the past week. But how much of that coverage has been helpful and how much as been harmful?

Cathy Beck-Cross, a professor at Grandview University, explains that the way we handle the aftermath of suicides is crucial not only to respecting the families, but to preventing future suicides.

"Post-vention is considered prevention because the kinds of activities  and the way its handled after a suicide can have a dramatic effect on whether or not there are likely to be copycat or contagion suicides."

Ben Kieffer talks with Beck-Cross as well as an Iowan who lost her mother to suicide and to the director of the University Counseling Service at the University of Iowa, Sam Cochran, on this hour of River to River.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and Iowa chatline's website is http://iowacrisischat.org/.

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River