Mind responds to suspension of Jeremy Kyle show
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, the mental health charity said:
“The reasons for suicide are complex, and drawing simple conclusions about causes is unhelpful.
“The testimonies of some former participants in entertainment and reality TV shows has made clear the impact they can have on mental health and prompted a welcome debate about the safety of such programmes. Programme makers and broadcasters have a duty of care to people appearing on these shows, who at the very least should be well-prepared for what might happen to them and offered suitable forms of support.
“Mind already supports broadcasters to represent mental health-related issues sensitively and realistically on screen, and we will be contacting broadcasters to offer to work with them on how they might improve their practices off-screen too. We are sure that programme makers want to do the best possible job of supporting people, though they also need to consider whether certain programmes can ever be made safe.”
ENDS
When reporting on suicide, please refer to the Samaritans’ guidance: https://www.samaritans.org/about-samaritans/media-guidelines/
