Recently, a song by Logic, real name Sir Robert Bryson Hall 2, was released. Instead of having a conventional song title, it was simply titled the National Suicide Hotline’s phone number.

Listening to the song, one hears about how the main character doesn’t want to live anymore, someone’s response to how good life is, and toward the end, how the main character doesn’t follow through with their impulse and “don’t even wanna die anymore”.

This song has prompted thoughts about mental health for several obvious reasons. The first being that the title of the song is the National Suicide Hotline’s phone number, and the lyrics depict one person’s journey from being suicidal to not being suicidal and being glad that he’s alive.

As someone who has dealt with mental illness, I felt mixed emotions about this song. On the one hand, I’m glad that the topic of mental illness is more widely acceptable to talk about in a social setting. It provides a new place for conversations, rather than being reserved for a private blog or therapist’s office. On the other hand, mental illness can be oversimplified, generalized, or even romanticized, such as being depressed because you cried at the end of Marley and Me.

For example, on Tumblr, there are blogs dedicated to glorifying mental illnesses. An article on Stop Romanticizing Things That Hurt says that “our move to ‘delete the stigma’ surrounding mental illness has drastically changed towards a trend to ‘romanticize the stigma.’ While mental illness isn’t something people should be scared of, it also isn’t something that people should aspire to have.”

The article goes on to talk about how people are associating the words ‘tragic’ and ‘beautiful’ together, how ‘tragic is beautiful’. The article’s intent is to debunk the thought that mental illnesses are something to want to have, because “mental illness itself isn’t beautiful, it is debilitating… it’s all-encompassing; it’s all-consuming; it hurts. A mental illness isn’t beautiful simply because pain isn’t pretty.”

Taking in this song and the article together, as well as the countless other resources that are out there, I’m glad that there are people and organizations who are promoting this honest talk about mental illnesses. It shouldn’t be something to aspire to, but mental illness also shouldn’t be something that is self-diagnosed. Just because you like to be organized doesn’t mean that you have OCD. You don’t have Generalized Anxiety because you get nervous for final exams or presentations.

However, if you do feel like you may have symptoms of any mental illness, please get professional help. The Counseling and Testing Services in BA 156 are able to help you with getting professional help. There is also a professional counselor with whom you can schedule an appointment. On the web page for the Counseling and Testing Services there is a link to where you can take an online, anonymous, free mental health screening. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 12 PM, 1 – 4:30. PM.

If it is after hours and you need to talk to someone, you can call the Western Mental Health Center Crisis line at 800-658-2429. For emergencies, call 911.

The Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) is leading a statewide effort to engage college students who are studying media, mass communications, or journalism in raising awareness about suicide prevention and awareness. Dr. Dan Reidenberg, who is the Executive Director of SAVE and is a renowned suicide prevention expert, will give a one-hour presentation focusing on responsible reporting on the topic of suicide and how media can contribute to a better public understanding of suicide and mental health.

SAVE has also put out a call for submissions. Winners will receive a cash prize and a trophy. The deadline to enter is July 15. If anyone is interested in this training or would like to schedule a presentation, please email [email protected] or call 952-946-7998. For more information about SAVE and the call for submissions, please visit www.save.org.