[MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS] Logic's Song 1-800-273-8255 Helped To Reduce Suicide Rates In The US

Research finds the US rapper contributed to a reduction in suicides and an increase in calls to the prevention hotline, 1-800-273-8255 in the US.

Logic’s 2017 viral  single 1-800-273-8255 has proven to be more than just a commercial banger, with a recent study and evidence that the song is directly linked to more people reaching out for crisis support as well as a decrease in the number of suicide-related deaths.

Research conducted by the medical journal (BMJ) found out that within 34 days after the track’s release,the National Suicide Prevention Hotline was overwhelmed an increase of 9,915 calls – nearly seven per cent more than the expected number.

The track featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains Logic’s most streamed track up to this day  clocking over a billion streams on Spotify alone.

1-800-273-8255 has been highly praised for its efforts to break the stigma surrounding suicidal thoughts and mental health issues, but despite the real-world impact the song has contributed to, Logic revealed to GQ that he was on the receiving end of a “tsunami of hate” after he performed the single at the VMAs.

Despite the hate, the Los Angeles based rapper is touched by the awareness the song has brought to suicide prevention. He told CNN, “We did it from a really warm place in our hearts to try to help people. And the fact that it actually did, that blows my mind.”

A spokesperson for the Lifeline confirmed that calls to the line increased by 50% in the hours immediately after the VMA performance and that the positive message delivered on the broadcast has continued to have a lasting impact. “Previous research has shown that calls to the Lifeline reduce emotional distress and suicidality in callers, while other findings have also demonstrated that media sharing stories of hope and recovery also can reduce suicides. Logic’s song combined both messages in one, and this new study in The BMJ finds that the song was associated with a large increase in calls to the Lifeline, as well as reductions in suicides with the most social media discourse about the song,” said Lifeline spokesperson Kate Formichella in a statement to Billboard.

“Celebrities but also noncelebrities can have an important role in suicide prevention if they communicate about how they have coped with crisis situations and suicidal ideation,” study author Thomas Niederkrotenthaler told CNN. The study also notes that, “Logic’s song likely represents the broadest and most sustained suicide prevention messaging directly connected to a story of hope and recovery in any location to date and is thus a serendipitous event for research.”

“I’ve been praying for somebody to save me, no one’s heroic … And my life don’t even matter, I know it, I know it … They say every life precious but nobody care about mine,” Logic raps on the track that tells the story of a man’s battle with suicidal thoughts, which spurs him to calls the Lifeline rather than take his life; Alessia Cara plays the crisis counselor who answers his call on the song that also features Khalid. The song spent four week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received Grammy nominations