Losing Your Reputation

A study published in the June 2008 issue of Australasian Psychiatry takes a look at the relationship between reputation damage and suicide. By examining public record of the last 20 years, Fifteen cases were identified of individuals with no evidence of mental disorder who suffered actual or threatened reputation damage and committed suicide shortly thereafter. An additional eighteen cases that were less completed were also examined. Of the 15 individual cases, the average age was 55 years, with a range of 40 to 76 years. The available details of the 18 additional cases were consistent with these findings. The authors conclude that middle-aged males without clear evidence of mental disorder, who suffer actual or threatened reputation damage, may be at increased risk of suicide. They particularly caution against the use of "naming and shaming" media campaigns which may have fatal consequences.

Click here for the abstract.