In my experience as a broadcast journalist, reporting suicide cases has been one of the most sensitive, if not the hardest coverage I’ve ever done. Suicide is a complex and multifactorial issue and there has always been a notion about the possibility of copycat cases.

I know some people who have lost someone because of suicide. Many of them said it’s never easy to deal with the struggle, especially if they take the blame for failing to prevent the act. There are others who told me they felt suicidal at one point in their lives, but it has been good that none of them went through with it.

Next Sunday (Sep 10) is World Suicide Prevention Day. I never felt more encouraged to write an article again about this issue until I learned about this year’s theme, “Take a minute, change a life.” The worldwide observance is spearheaded by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and supported by the World Health Organization.

There are recurring themes in many suicide cases/attempts I’ve known, heard, or written about: depression, listening, and compassion. And according to the IASP,

“People who have lived through a suicide attempt have much to teach us about how the words and actions of others are important. Many say that they actively sought someone who would sense their despair and ask them whether they were okay.

Life is precious and sometimes precarious. Taking a minute to reach out to someone – a complete stranger or close family member or friend – can change the course of their life.

To explain more about World Suicide Prevention Day, we’re joined by Xiaojie Qin, founder and executive director of CandleX, a Beijing-based organization and support group for people struggling with depression and mental health issues.

Is the thought of suicide an issue of mental health? What are the risk factors that can lead up to this act? Who are the most vulnerable?
Absolutely, it is a mental health issue. Research has shown that in 60 to 70 percent of suicide cases, people actually have a mental health issue, mainly depression. If you want to prevent suicide, you have to look at the population with mental illnesses. The risk factors are really hard to tackle because there are so many factors to look at. I was at the 10th National Mental Health Conference and the key message of that workshop says the factors of suicide are too broad, even when people know what it is, it’s like what do we expect them to do about it. Also, the workshop talked about the issue of suicide in youth as it is the second cause of death for young people aged 15-25

READ MORE: About Teen Suicide

Is there a definite response or formula to somewhat stop vulnerable people from attempting suicide?
On a fundamental level, listening is a good way; being sensible to their emotions is another as well. Try not to change the way they feel but try to acknowledge it by being compassionate. Empathizing is really important.

IASP says that many people who have lived through suicide attempts had actively sought someone who would sense their despair and ask them whether they were okay.

Why are people reluctant to intervene or even help someone? Can we easily spot the “signs” that might lead to suicide?
First of all, people are not reluctant to help. I think people, in general, want to help, they just don’t know how because there’s not enough education in school, not enough talk in the family. Just having awareness is not enough. There are common signs in suicidal people and if you’re familiar with them, then you can spot them. People who contemplated suicide usually will seek help, not directly by asking but giving signs.

Part of the reason why I started CandleX is because of the year when I recovered from depression. One friend died (of suicide) and that just shocked me. So the founding of CandleX has a direct relationship with this person’s death.

READ MORE: The Value of Listening for People with Depression

Can the act of helping aggravate the situation?
Yes, if you don’t know how to do it, just like doing the wrong thing to treat an injury. That’s why everybody needs to have basic information on how to deal with suicides. Just like what I said earlier, try not to change the way they feel like telling them, “You shouldn’t feel this way, you’ve got family, friends… you’ve got a good job. Why do you want to die?” Don’t try to reason with them. Helping should always go back to the fundamental point of being compassionate, knowing why they feel this way and letting them know that you understand their situation.

I also think there’s a misunderstanding that we shouldn’t ask people if they’re suicidal. Research has shown that asking is not going to aggravate the situation. Always ask. If you see some signs in people, like when someone is going through depression, ask, “Are you suicidal?” It’s a difficult question that sometimes you’d be, “Okay, are they actually gonna do it?” It’s not gonna work that way. If they’re thinking about it they’re gonna tell you and you can take precautions to prevent the act. But if you never even ask, you will lose the opportunity to save someone.

What role do (social and traditional) media and the internet play in suicide prevention?
I have a mixed feeling about it because in the past, whenever there’s a suicide case, the media, without any knowledge or training on how to report on it or what to do and what not to do, tell stories based on drama instead of shedding light on mental health and educating the public about suicide prevention. The way the media write the stories is not coming from the public health focus. They’re missing the opportunity for public education as well. On the other hand, I remember in 2014 when I first searched the internet about suicide, there was a bunch of articles about the different things that people share online that shouldn’t be there. They’re providing information on how people can kill themselves. But now if you Baidu or Google “suicide,” the search box will show suicide prevention hotlines or articles about what to do when someone feels suicidal. The search engines have turned to be more on the prevention side now.

Sure, there’s a great role that the media can play and I can definitely see some of the progress on the internet. In reporting, there are still many bad stories and coverage of suicide cases but there have been cases where people can talk about suicide in a positive light.

Journalists unfamiliar with suicide reporting can treat cases as they would for crime reports, while other media outlets can sensationalize or trivialize the issue

Are there any resources people can use to communicate with people attempting suicide?
In some situations, there are experts to deal with them. For example, if someone is trying to jump off a building, there are crisis situation professionals.

READ MORE: In the Moment of Blur | Sam’s Story with Depression

More resources on suicide prevention
– CandleX offers mental health support (in English) to teenagers and adults living in Beijing. Expats and Chinese nationals are all eligible to receive this support. Its founder, Xiaojie Qin is an English speaking Chinese national, found it difficult to identify with the Chinese mental health services available and concluded that the English-speaking community in Beijing lacked both social and clinical support. This realization inspired her to fill the gap, and she soon after founded CandleX, with the aim of providing mental health support in English. (info@candlex.cn)
– WHO Sustainable Development Goals: Mental health
– WHO: Key facts about suicide and suicide prevention
– Reporting on suicide: Important Points for Covering Suicide
– International Association for Suicide Prevention: Resources and infographics

Photos: rawpixel, RyanMcGuire, yankypollak via Pixabay

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A former Beijing expat parent whose daughter committed suicide in May is crowdsourcing funds to have the song the 15-year-old wrote and recorded just days before her death remade by New Zealand pop star Anita Prime in an effort to raise awareness about teen eating disorders.

Eleanor (“Elle”) Holmes, who attended a well-known international school in Beijing for the 2013-14 academic year, dreamed of becoming a psychologist. She loved drama and singing too, acting most recently in the December 2013 performance of the Wizard of Oz staged by Beijing Playhouse. She studied hard, made friends and was captain of her swim team.

A few hours before her death in Shunyi last May, Elle had been laughing and playing with her younger brother. She went to bed with no signs that she was depressed. But Elle had “her demons,” as her mother Leigh Holmes later told the Daily Mirror.

After her passing, it was discovered that Elle had been visiting “pro-ana” websites, in which users exchange "thinspiration" photos and sometimes even promote eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia as legitimate weight loss methods.

Holmes told the Daily Mail that Elle’s “secret Internet history revealed many of the pressures of modern life, a desire to be skinnier, prettier, have different hair. There were secret accounts on pro-ana websites.”

Since the tragedy, Holmes has made it her mission to highlight the dangers that these websites can pose.

“We now have the Elle Holmes Mirror of Hope trust established," Holmes told the Beijinger. "Its aims are to fund lifelines for vulnerable young people … and educate about the dangers of pro-ana and ‘thinspiration’ websites.”

The “Mirror” part of the title stems from the song Elle composed and performed, “Mirror, Mirror.” It is a haunting ballad to watch and the lyrics deeply provoking: "Mirror mirror on the wall, she ain’t the fairest of them all…Mirror, mirror don’t you see, what you show her is deadly. You killed that little girl.”

The Kickstarter campaign aims to raise NZD 12,500 (RMB 62,540) to pay for the production of a version of Elle’s "Mirror Mirror" with Grammy-nominated Ron Thaler producing and vocals by Anita Prime. The song will then be sold via iTunes and the proceeds used to fund the Mirror of Hope charity.

With less than three weeks to go until the October 4 deadline, the campaign is still short of its goal. Support the project here and follow its progress at Mirror of Hope on Holmes’ blog at www.elleaholmes.com.

On the site, Holmes writes, “After a tragic accident aged just 15, Elle’s light has been prematurely taken from us. We’ve put this site together in the hope that her talented songwriting and lovely voice might bring hope and joy to others."

One student posted his fond memory of her in the comments, “I am truly saddened by Elle’s premature death. I had the privilege of acting with her in Wizard of Oz. Her energy, laughter and talent shone out of her like a beacon to others. God bless you Elle.”

Listen to Elle’s performing "Mirror Mirror" on the Kickstarter campaign page here and read the song lyrics below.

Mirror, Mirror by Elle Holmes

She’s just your average girl
Lost in her own fantasy world
No one gets in, no one gets out
She looks out her bedroom window
And watches the butterflies fly away
Dreaming of happiness and bliss
But what she doesn’t know
She’s fighting a losing battle
What she doesn’t know is she’s her own enemy

Mirror mirror on the wall
She ain’t the fairest of them all
But what you’re showing her has left her cold
Mirror mirror don’t you see
What you show her is deadly
You killed that little girl

Tragic and beautiful
Yet it’s all just hidden from her
Under a mask, a voice, lights
She turns her monsters into pain
In the hope it would all go away
Now she’s trapped, lost, alone
Now she’s realised
Her battle is a war one sided
Now she’s realised that she’s her own enemy

Mirror mirror on the wall
She ain’t the fairest of them all
But what you’re showing her
Hasn’t left her cold
Mirror mirror don’t you see
What you show her is deadly
You’ve killed that little girl

She reaches for the helping hand
Yet she fears that she’ll soon slip back
But she’s got no other choices
Her mind, it binds with another, and the voice it’s gone forever
Finally happy, finally free

Mirror mirror on the wall,
She is the fairest of them all
And hopefully soon she’ll see it too
Mirror mirror she now sees
The beauty and power that is she
That little girl is running back towards her

Mirror mirror on the wall
She is the fairest of them all
And hopefully soon (hopefully soon) she’ll see it (she’ll see it too)
Mirror mirror we all see
The beauty and power that is she
She’s just another tragic beauty

My beautiful tragedy

Photos: Kickstarter and elleaholmes.com