Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’
Background: Countering stigma is a fundamental facet of suicide prevention efforts. Integral to this is the promotion of accurate and sensitive language. The phrase ‘commit* suicide’ has prompted marked opposition primarily due to the connotations of immorality and illegality. Methods: The study in...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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F1000Research
2016
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42933/ |
| _version_ | 1848796605266788352 |
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| author | Nielsen, Emma Padmanathan, Prianka Knipe, Duleeka |
| author_facet | Nielsen, Emma Padmanathan, Prianka Knipe, Duleeka |
| author_sort | Nielsen, Emma |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Countering stigma is a fundamental facet of suicide prevention efforts. Integral to this is the promotion of accurate and sensitive language. The phrase ‘commit* suicide’ has prompted marked opposition primarily due to the connotations of immorality and illegality.
Methods: The study investigated the frequency of the use of the wordstem ‘commit’, in relation to self-harm and suicidal behaviours, in the three leading suicide-specific academic journals between 2000 and 2015.
Results: One third (34%) of articles published since the year 2000 used the word ‘commit*’ when describing an act of self-harm or suicide. Over half of these articles (57%) used the phrase on more than one occasion, with 6% using it more than 10 times in the same manuscript. The percentage of papers utilising the word ‘commit*’ has fluctuated over time, but there is a promising downward trend in the use of this phrase from 33% in 2000 to 13% in 2015 (p < 0.001).
Discussion: We advocate for the implementation of publication requirements regarding the language used when discussing suicide. Whilst we call for collective responsibility amongst academics and clinicians, editors hold a unique position in ensuring that outdated, inaccurate and stigma-laden terms are expunged from the scientific literature. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:50:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-42933 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:50:38Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | F1000Research |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-429332020-05-04T18:27:25Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42933/ Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ Nielsen, Emma Padmanathan, Prianka Knipe, Duleeka Background: Countering stigma is a fundamental facet of suicide prevention efforts. Integral to this is the promotion of accurate and sensitive language. The phrase ‘commit* suicide’ has prompted marked opposition primarily due to the connotations of immorality and illegality. Methods: The study investigated the frequency of the use of the wordstem ‘commit’, in relation to self-harm and suicidal behaviours, in the three leading suicide-specific academic journals between 2000 and 2015. Results: One third (34%) of articles published since the year 2000 used the word ‘commit*’ when describing an act of self-harm or suicide. Over half of these articles (57%) used the phrase on more than one occasion, with 6% using it more than 10 times in the same manuscript. The percentage of papers utilising the word ‘commit*’ has fluctuated over time, but there is a promising downward trend in the use of this phrase from 33% in 2000 to 13% in 2015 (p < 0.001). Discussion: We advocate for the implementation of publication requirements regarding the language used when discussing suicide. Whilst we call for collective responsibility amongst academics and clinicians, editors hold a unique position in ensuring that outdated, inaccurate and stigma-laden terms are expunged from the scientific literature. F1000Research 2016-12-06 Article PeerReviewed Nielsen, Emma, Padmanathan, Prianka and Knipe, Duleeka (2016) Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’. Wellcome Open Research, 1 . p. 21. ISSN 2398-502X https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/1-21/v1 doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.10333.1 doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.10333.1 |
| spellingShingle | Nielsen, Emma Padmanathan, Prianka Knipe, Duleeka Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title | Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title_full | Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title_fullStr | Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title_full_unstemmed | Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title_short | Commit* to change? A call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| title_sort | commit* to change? a call to end the publication of the phrase ‘commit* suicide’ |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42933/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42933/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/42933/ |