In 2017, Grammy-awarded rapper and producer Logic released β1-800-273-8255β, an emotional anthem that was named after the suicide prevention hotline. The song also features Alessia Cara and Khalid.
The song became an instant hit, reaching number three in the US Billboard charts and garnering over 430 million views for the official music video. Many listeners related with the trackβs message, some sharing their story on social media and how the song helped them keep their own thoughts of suicide at bay.
Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, an associate professor at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, investigated whether these anecdotal reports reflected a change in suicide numbers across the country.
Niederkrotenthaler and colleagues examined the association between Logicβs song and the number of daily calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, as well as daily suicides in the US. The numbers were calculated over three particularly important timeframes: the songβs release, and live performances at the Music Awards in 2017 and the Grammy Awards in 2018. Using data from Twitter posts, in the 34 days period immediately after each there event, public attention was the strongest.
Across these periods, there were an extra 9,915 calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, an increase of 6.9% over the expected number. Furthermore, there was a reported reduction of 245 suicides, which represents a very significant 6.9% drop relative to the expected number.
βThis indicates that the song had a strong effect on help-seeking from the Lifeline, and simultaneously, there was a noteworthy drop in suicides,β said Niederkrotenthaler.
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