Can Music Cause Suicide?

fuzyon · Dec 6, 2016

It can definitely happen, music influences you both ways sometimes and for a certain person it can be the dealbreaker. Listening to depressing songs when you're in a miserable state of mind and constantly reminding yourself of how bad your life is can lead to suicide in the worst case scenario. Sad songs are generally soothing rather than taking you over the edge though.

jy76 · Dec 6, 2016

Some have argued suicide is caused by music and have taken the matter to court. For instance, a woman sued the rock star, Ozzy Osbourne, stating his song Suicide Solution lead to her son's death.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-ozzy-osbourne-fan-commits-suicide

Although it is generally legal in the United States to express any viewpoint or feelings, it is not legal to directly incite specific and imminent violent actions. But since this standard is hard to prove, virtually every attempt to hold an entertainer responsible for allegedly inciting action has failed.

However, as the paragraph above says, trying to provide a direct link between video or music and an actual case is massively difficult to prove. Anyhow, does anyone know of anyone, you can use anonymous names, that has been influenced by popular media to do something terrible? Do you think there should be censorship in the media to protect people, or do you think the media should not be held responsible?

Lyndra · Dec 7, 2016

Music is designed to create moods, to start you dancing, or thinking, or singing along, so it's seems pretty reasonable that sad music could make someone more depressed. I don't think it would affect someone without anxiety or another existing cause, but if you are already down, it could be a tipping point. It might not even be sad music, just songs with a personal meaning or connection.

Music can definitely cause suicides. There's a very disturbing story in Schindler's List about two Jewish violinists forced to play for the guards who noticed one of the camp officers looked depressed when they played a certain song. They fitted it in as many times as they could that evening, and later learned he had killed himself.

Censoring it doesn't seem practical. Every song means something different to each listener, and I really wouldn't want to be limited to elevator music. After all, rainy days make people feel down, but no one says we should ban those!

to7update · Dec 7, 2016

I don't think music can cause suicide, no. As you say @Lyndra, music messes with our emotions and some musics might make us happier and others more sad. Musics are also strongly associated to events, so if in the past we had sad or traumatic events and we associate certain songs to it, I say forget it, we should not listen to them because that would be reliving those conditions. Nothing like listening to songs that evoke happy moments.

TheKnight · Dec 9, 2016

Music influences a lot in a person. When you're out and walking normally and suddenly a song comes on, you may sometimes unknowingly walk to the rythm of the music. When you listen to a sad song, you cry and it can make you think about bad/sad things in your life and I think that long exposure to those feelings can cause someone to feel suicidal because they carry more sad events in their minds than they do happy moments. I tend to listen to a lot of DragonBall Z/Super OSTs and for most of the day, I imagine myself flying and fighting around just like the characters in the show. The imagination is also accompanied by the music.

People usually tend to absorb in the emotion of the ambiance they're in so if they're in a sad ambiance, they will feel sad and if they enjoy that kind of music and listen to it frequently, I think that would be considered a sort of depression.

This is the reason some people train to inspirtatonal music. It's all in your mind and music can defnitely take control of your thoughts. The placebo affect is a great example of how powerful the brain is.

man of God · Dec 9, 2016

I definitely think that an obsession with an artist or song can lead to negative places in the mind and spirit. So can repeating certain destructive and negative lyrics. The mind can be a battlefield.

There is nothing wrong with music and and of itself. It's what you do with it as a result, that really can make or break it for you. Just remember that you are the same person you were before turning on that playlist. You are special, and God made you with a purpose in life.

SparklyStarfish · Dec 22, 2016

Whoever said rainy days get people down? Not me, I love rainy days and hate sunny ones!

As for music causing suicide, I believe it could, it has gotten me close to it many times, but I also believe music has a very close spiritual connection and is closely tied to other things, so if someone had bad intent behind even a good song, I think I could feel that, it's odd, its almost like I can feel the prescense of a song

SparklyStarfish · Dec 22, 2016

man of God said:
I definitely think that an obsession with an artist or song can lead to negative places in the mind and spirit. So can repeating certain destructive and negative lyrics. The mind can be a battlefield.

There is nothing wrong with music and and of itself. It's what you do with it as a result, that really can make or break it for you. Just remember that you are the same person you were before turning on that playlist. You are special, and God made you with a purpose in life.

Please, I repespect your religious views, but stop thinking just cause you are religious you can bring other people into it, just because you believe in God doesn't immediatly make it truth for anyone else. If my reality defies God what you said end up being false, I could say I had a GOD and he cared about you, but you would say thats not real and that yours was real. You cant just include others in religion cause you believe.

Anyway #triggered

Concernedgal · Dec 24, 2016

I believe that it can. I've thought about suicide a couple of times i'm sorry to say. I'd be depressed, a sad song plays on the radio and then you start to think about everything you've gone through in your life and you think... the suffering can end now. It would be so easy. Fortunately I quickly came to my senses and thought to myself" how selfish are you " your lucky enough to have a family, a husband and friends who truly love you and if you took your own life... you very well could leave a huge hole in there lives. So I come to my senses and snap out of it. Thankfully i've never made an attempt. And I probably never will. But, I have thought of it before. Never underestimate the effect music has on emotions.

Natasha0717 · Dec 30, 2016

Jasmin Cottontail said:
People who suffer from depression are somehow difficult to comfort. They tend to close their mind and understanding with some things. I know because I have suffered from it many times, and I hate the feeling. It's one of those feelings I would never want to feel ever again. There are moments that I would just want to sleep and sleep and hoping when I wake up, I all well.

Music can make people happy, or happier especially when listening to happy songs during their happiest moments. It's an incredible feeling. But what if someone depressed listened to a sad song or a song that will just remind them how depressed they are? Will it cause them to in being more depressed, or even taking their own life?

Well, I can definitely tell you that there are some "suicide songs" out there, as my brother and I like to call them. Most of them are by Coldplay or Snow Patrol. Oh, and the worst one....(or really the best one, even though it will make you cry your eyes out)...would be "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran.

Here, have a good cry:

(But don't kill yourself!) Songs can help sway your emotions one way or another. I've never felt suicidal or been suicidal so I can't say if a certain song would actually assist somebody in committing suicide, but I'm guessing many people who have done it probably were listening to sad music beforehand or even purposely picked a song to play to get them even more down before actually going through with it.

But that's just a guess..

Concernedgal · Dec 30, 2016

Oh yes." Trouble "by Coldplay. That's the song that made me think about suicide before. Let's face it though. It may be a good thing but, i'm to big of a coward to go through with it.

PiaBlooming · Jan 12, 2017

Music is full of emotions and so it is a depressed person. If you suffer from depression you really have to avoid sad songs , as if it were Kryptonite!!
Instead keep on feeding your self with positive thoughts, inspirational music to motivate you.
Is a fact that some songs have so much negative emotional charge that they can detonate in a depressive their "death fantasies".
Maybe this is not your case. I hope is not

Jester85 · Jan 12, 2017

If you listen to depressing songs or those with lyrics or subject matter that emotionally trigger you somehow, it could contribute to your downward spiral.

I don't think just listening to a song is going to get you there on its own, but if you're already depressed, it can deepen and darken your mood.

Evanescence's "Immortal" is really depressing, to me.

Concernedgal · Jan 12, 2017

As someone who suffers from severe depression which causes my anxiety and panic, I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think about suicide a time or 2. You had a point about how music can put you in a darker place. It really can. If i'm going through something and a sad song comes on the radio.... it can complicate things. I've never attempted suicide and I probably never will but music will put that thought in your mind. The song I always try to avoid is" Trouble " by Coldplay. That's the song that brings me way down.

Jester85 · Jan 12, 2017

I avoid "Immortal" by Evanescence because it really drags me down. On the other hand, I also have songs that lift me up though (or at least drown out the existential crisis, ha). Music can really influence mood one way or another though, so be careful what you're listening to, especially if you're already emotionally vulnerable.

Concernedgal · Jan 13, 2017

I try to avoid sad songs in general now. Who needs em. Lol. I always change the radio station now until I find something a little more upbeat. Something that will put me in a better mood.

janemariesayed · Jan 15, 2017

There are some artists who sing very depressing songs so I think it depends on what music you are listening too and the state of your mind at the time. If you were the kind of person who had suicidal tendencies, then I wouldn't recommend listening to certain songs for fear of the repercussions. It may be a good idea though to listen to some fun music. Fun music could lift the mood away from a depressive state.

Some people swear by music, that it lifts them up and they just couldn't start their day without listening to their favourite song. Some music and dancing have been found to raise the vibrations so it really could be a good thing.

Shayor · Mar 2, 2017

As Chris Martin said ''Music can't change someone's mood,but it can amplify one's emotions'' which can sometimes lead to suicide.Saying from personal experience too...

Can Music Cause Suicide?

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