The new standards emphasise that the general discussion of suicide and in some cases the reporting of specific cases may ''help to improve public understanding of causes and warning signs, have a deterrent effect on people contemplating suicide, bring comfort to affected relatives or friends, or promote further public or private action to prevent suicide''.

Under the guidelines, the decision to report on a suicide should be taken at a senior editorial level, and descriptions of the methods and locations involved in a suicide or attempt should be withheld unless there is a clear public interest in detailing them.

''If preventive measures at a specific spot [for suicide] are not adequate, then it would be worth reporting that,'' Professor Disney said.

The mental health reform advocate, Professor Pat McGorry, who assisted with the drafting, said in some cases details should be reported.

''We have to remove the culture of silence and the sense of shame and fear,'' he said, noting 40 per cent more people lost their lives to suicide than in car accidents in Australia.