Analysis: How do those bereaved by suicide respond to media reports?

Guidelines on reporting suicide are aimed at preventing further suicides and minimising distress to the bereaved. Here Dr Alexandra Pitman (UCL Psychiatry) writes about her research looking at how relatives of suicide victims respond to news, and speaks to others in the field. You are a junior reporter on a busy local newspaper. Your editor has asked you to cover the suicide of a young man who lived in the town with his parents. You have been to their house but they would only speak to you through the door. It was clear they were not keen to be interviewed. Your editor is putting pressure on you to meet the copy deadline with something that will engage readers.