What is the Papageno effect, which helps prevent suicide?

0:00With Share My Trip from Uber, you can send your live trip location to the ones who matter most, like Dan and Hannah who always wait up to make sure their daughter gets back to her college dorm room. Or Tiffany, who's running late as usual, and her friends are tracking her trip to make sure she's actually on her way. Or Sam, who never goes anywhere without her roommate knowing exactly where she is. Some journeys are meant to be shared. Share your ride in real time with Share My Trip on Uber. One more way Uber is putting safety at every turn. Learn more on the Uber app. Fall has never looked or tasted this good. Sweet Greens Fall Harvest Menu is back with seasonal favorites dressed to impress and made to be devoured. Warm roasted sweet potatoes, crisp apples, maple glazed brussels, and crave worthy flavors in the autumn harvest bowl, maple glazed salmon plate, and roasted bacon brussel side. The season's most desirable menu has returned to sweet green. Itching falls best dressed. Make your move. Order on the sweet green app.

1:02Pah, pah, pah. What is the Papa Gano effect, which helps prevent suicide? Thanks for asking. You may have heard of the Vertra effect, named after Gertr's 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Verta. After the story's hero takes his own life, the book was linked to a wave of copycat suicides. Even today, researchers suggest that when a celebrity's suicide receives extensive media coverage, suicide rates can rise by an average of 13%. The effect has been observed following the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, Dalyda, Kurt Cabane, and Robin Williams. So what is the Papa Gano effect? It's the opposite of the Vertra effect. The name comes from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. Not broken, Papa Gano considers suicide, but three spirits help him to see another way forward. According to psychiatrist Clemen Guillet, stories of people, including celebrities who've overcome a suicidal crisis, can encourage others to seek help.

2:06The way the media tells the stories matters too. A 2005 study by the Medical University of Vienna, which analyzed nearly 500 news reports on suicide, found that coverage can either increase or reduce suicide risk, depending on how it's handled. So should the media avoid talking about suicide? Not at all, but it should report on it responsibly. One often cited example came in 2022 when Belgian singer Stro Maier spoke openly about experiencing suicidal thoughts during a television interview. The broadcast was followed by a surge of more than 10% in calls to France's national suicide prevention hotline. That's why the Papa Gano Prevention Program, made up of psychiatrists and communication specialists, encourages journalists to highlight recovery, promote access to mental health support, and avoid romanticising suicide. For example, portraying a heartbroken teenager's suicide as a tragic poetic act can encourage vulnerable people to identify with the story.

3:08The program also recommends avoiding detailed descriptions of suicide methods to reduce the risk of copycat behaviour. The Papa Gano effect may even extend to television. A 2019 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan examined Netflix's 13 reasons why. While the series was criticised for its graphic portrayal of a teenager's suicide, researchers also found possible benefits. Young viewers reported greater empathy towards people experiencing psychological distress, and lower rates of self-harm than those who hadn't watched the show. There you have it. Now you know what the Papa Gano effect is. In under three minutes we answer your questions and help you understand the true meaning behind the trends, concepts and acronyms that are making headlines. Listen along and you really will know for sure.