 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: An article about a notable suicide is not a biography, nor is it a memorial. Care must be taken both in articles and discussions not to cause further distress to the bereaved, and to stay neutral and neither to record nor synthesise original research. |
This essay is intended to guide editors in handling the complex editorial issues created when writing an article about a suicide so that they may avoid: causing disquiet among those who loved, liked or simply respected the dead person; pillorying those alleged to have contributed to the suicide; creating a biographical article about the dead person; and creating a memorial for them (the latter action is against Wikipedia policy). It may also help interested parties close to the event to understand how Wikipedia's policies and guidelines relate to articles about a given individual's suicide.