Reporting suicide and mental illness for Indigenous Australians

This paper is based on a consultation conducted with Indigenous Australian communities in 2004 as part of the Media and Mental Health project, funded under the National Mindframe Initiative. Although there is a growing body of literature about the potential impact of reporting suicide and mental illness, little is known about the specific impact of reporting suicide and mental illness on Indigenous Australians. The aim of the consultation was to gather information from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples across Australia to investigate their opinions and understandings about possible negative and positive effects of media coverage about suicide, mental health and mental illness. The information gathered from this small consultation is the first of its kind. It is hoped the information will better inform strategies undertaken by the National Mindframe Initiative, but it may also encourage dialogue between the media and the broad mental health sector about these issues. this article will summarise the key issues raised in the consultations, reflect on discussions with Indigenous media, comment on how these issues are currently reflected or overlooked in media codes of practice and journalism ethics and recommend some future directions in this area.