31. 03. 2006

“MEDIA, CAREFULLY WITH MURDERS”

BELGRADE, March 31, 2006 – Detailed media reports on murders and suicides could trigger off more suicides or aggression, experts warn. The Institute for Mental Health Director Dusica Lecic-Tosevski said today that those detailed descriptions should not get into public. “The reports on suicides could trigger a chain reaction, a scientific phenomenon of copycat suicide syndrome known as the Werter effect”, said Dusica Lecic-Tosevski, speaking at the Institute’s press conference. She also said that, according to estimations of the World Health Organisation (WHO), between 10 and 20 million people attempt suicide every year, while around one million attempts were successful. “The reports of the WHO show that 25 percent might develop a mental disorder, whereas 25-40 percent of patients that comes to see general practitioners have some mental problems”, said Lecic-Tosevski, adding that the prevention of mental illnesses ought to be regarded as very important. “It is never too late for prevention, which might stop the creation of mental illnesses”, said Lecic-Tosevski.