If you watched the VMA’s on August 27th, then you witnessed a very important performance from Logic that had a huge message behind it. Joined by Alessia Cara and Khalid, Logic sang a song called “1-800-273-8255,” which happens to be the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Before his performance, he was introduced by Kesha, who gave a speech reminding everyone that none of us are alone. The most powerful part of the performance, in my opinion, was when the singers were joined on stage by several suicide loss and attempt survivors wearing shirts that said “you are not alone.”
At the end of his performance, Logic included a very important statement in his speech: “Thank you for giving me a platform to talk to about the issues that mainstream media doesn’t want to talk about: mental health, anxiety, suicide, depression, and so much more that I talk about on this album.” Why is this true though? Why does it seem like one of the most important aspects of a person’s health and well-being is constantly ignored by the media and the government?
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 44,193 people dying each year. These rates continue to grow each year, and stigma surrounding suicide leads to difficulties in accurately reporting it and effectively preventing it. The Huffington post defines stigma as “a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation.” For whatever reason, our society does a great job of dancing around the subject of suicide and mental illness and it takes famous celebrities writing songs about it to get people to realize we need to spread awareness about it. Just from that one performance at the VMA’s, the suicide prevention lifeline experienced a 50% increase in calls. In order to make a difference and lower the increasing suicide rates, it has to become a part of our daily conversations. People have to stop being scared or embarrassed to talk about it, along with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. We have to find a way to get past the idea that someone is broken or less valuable once they are labeled a having one of these illnesses.
There also seems to be a stigma surrounding treatment for these types of illnesses. For most people, when we get sick we go to the doctor, it’s the normal thing to do. But for some reason when someone is suffering from depression and thinks they need to see a therapist, it is as if that type of illness isn’t as important as others and its almost shameful for someone to have it and have to get treatment for it. It is absolutely insane that people are made to feel embarrassed or ashamed of having a condition they have no control over, but unfortunately that’s how it is. People with illnesses like depression and anxiety are often viewed as weak and incapable, and are treated very differently because of it, which ultimately can lead to isolation and suicide.
The moral of this story is that everything you say and do to someone effects them in one way or another. Whether its your best friend or a stranger on the street, you never truly know what’s going on in someone else’s head, so make sure your words and actions aren’t potentially making someone’s situation worse. If you don’t know the signs and symptoms of a person with suicidal tendencies, go to https://afsp.org/about-suicide/ and please educate yourself so you can be aware of what it looks like when someone is suffering. Its too important of an issue for us as a society to continue turning the other way and refusing to acknowledge that this is a real problem that needs to be worked on.
Sources:
https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristina-cowan/suicide-and-its-unrelenti_b_6543364.html