Timothy Lau
Timothy Lau, M.D., F.R.C.P.(C)., M.Sc. is Associate Professor, Psychiatry Residency Training Director and Clinical Lead, Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit, The Royal.
Bio last updated October 1st, 2018.
Articles by Timothy Lau
Suicide by Media
By Timothy Lau and Natasha Fernandes
September 21, 2018
On Tuesday, Convivium.ca published Peter Menzies’ plea for journalists to stop hurting journalism with reckless opinion-mongering. Today, Dr. Natasha Fernandes and Dr. Timothy Lau cite even more grievous media malfeasance: romanticized reporting of euthanasia spreading the contagion of suicide.
For example, media guidelines for suicide reporting ask that suicides not be romanticized Grounded in social learning theory, it is thought that fragile individuals who read stories romanticizing suicide are led to believe it’s a viable way to end suffering