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An Editor and Publisher article is questioning whether
the death of a journalist is linked to his experience as an embedded
reporter in Iraq, but circumstances of his apparent suicide are
unclear.
E&P correspondent Joe Strupp reports that the death of Dennis
O’Brien, military reporter for The Virginian-Pilot,
has prompted “speculation that his war experience might
have contributed to his death.”
O’Brien, 35, died Saturday. The cause of his death has
not been confirmed, though Strupp writes that Norfolk police responded
to a suicide call on Saturday, and that sources reported that
O’Brien had killed himself. “Several sources …
suggested his time in Iraq may have played a role,” Strupp
writes.
Dart Center personnel, however, advise caution in making such
speculations without definite information about the victim's background
and medical history.
“I'm saddened to hear of any loss like this — but
very cautious about concluding that there is a link between exposure
to trauma and his suicide,” says Frank Ochberg, MD, Dart
Center Executive Board Chair Emeritus.
Ochberg cites another high profile case, the suicide of a woman
whose daughter had been injured in the Columbine High School tragedy.
Other factors, particularly a history of clinical depression,
were probably the cause of her death, Ochberg says.
“Reporters who related the suicide to Columbine did a disservice
to thousands of families who were led to believe that trauma caused
parents to kill themselves,” he notes. (For more from Ochberg
on depression and suicide, see What
Journalists Should Know).
For more information about Dennis O'Brien, see:
—The
Virginian-Pilot
—EditorandPublisher.com
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