Poonam Pandey Death Hoax: Expert Says, 'This Stunt Has Made a Lot of Women Anxious, Panicked, and Now Angry'

Poonam Pandey’s statement about her own death to raise awareness about cervical cancer has sparked debates regarding the possible harm that such tactics may cause as well as ethical concerns. Although the goal was to raise awareness of a crucial health issue, the approach taken has generated debate because of concerns that it would cause distress to individuals who have experienced similar circumstances. This episode makes it necessary to take a deeper look at the moral bounds of awareness campaigns and the requirement for tactful handling of delicate subjects.

A post shared by Poonam Pandey (@poonampandeyreal)

When word spread on February 2 that model-actor Poonam Pandey had passed away from cervical cancer, social media went into a frenzy. A day later, though, Poonam herself used Instagram to refute the rumours, posting a video to reassure her admirers that she was still very much alive. A heated debate over the morality of employing such techniques in public campaigns has been triggered by the startling discovery that the news of her death was part of a plan to increase awareness about cervical cancer.

A post shared by Poonam Pandey (@poonampandeyreal)

Poonam Pandey wanted to raise awareness about cervical cancer, but it’s now clear that the death hoax had unforeseen consequences. Mental health professionals and advocates contend that those who have lost a loved one to cancer or any other illness may feel stress, grief, and anxiety as a result of these dramatic techniques. Rethinking how delicate subjects are handled in public advertising has resulted from the acute focus on the thin line that separates creating awareness from inciting emotional anguish. Psychologist and PhD Dr. Geetanjali Saxena, founder of the Institute of Holistic Sciences, points out the consequences of such an irresponsible awareness stunt and the possible effect it has had on patients, families and others.

” Whatever Poonam Pandey has done is not the right thing. This is not the right way to spread awareness. I have never heard of this way of actually declaring yourself dead. More than the awareness, I am feeling that this is a publicity stunt and this stunt has made a lot of people anxious. A lot of women are very, very anxious about their personal hygiene and about their personal health. Basically, people, whether they are women or men, especially women, were afraid that they all felt that, you know, that was so near. And people who had anxiety attacks were feeling as if, you know, they could be the next one in line. I had three, four calls coming in and I spoke to three, four people who felt that anything can happen and that life is so unpredictable.

Poonam Pandey owes a public apology to everybody, and if she wants to really spread awareness about cervical cancer, she should do some campaigns about it. It will really be very helpful to people. But the way the awareness was there was more than the helpfulness; the first was anxiety; people panicked and today there is a lot of anger, anger at the media also and anger at Poonam Pandey also. I feel that there can be some kind of instability in this lady that she is going to this extent to get some, be in the limelight and it’s like for personal use more than for any awareness is what I’m feeling”, doctor Geetanjali added.

Dr. Gorav Gupta, Senior Psychologist, founder and director at Tulasi Healthcare, Gurugram said. “Death hoaxes that are intended to raise awareness or promote a product can backfire disastrously. These dishonest strategies take use of the intensely sentimental aspect of death, which may cause those who believe the false information to experience severe worry, sadness, or panic. Given that death is a delicate and important topic, these frauds could worsen pre-existing mental health conditions or create brand-new psychological suffering.

Moreover, these misleading tactics have the potential to undermine people’s confidence in information sources by making it harder for people to tell the difference between legitimate advertising and fraudulent messaging. A person’s emotional toll and loss of trust may have a lasting impact on their wellbeing, and they may also be a factor in the general decline of society’s faith in communication channels. To avoid unintentional injury, communicators must put empathy, accountability, and ethical issues first”, he said.