Jessica
Nelson
Professor
Holly Guile
English
2010-035
16
October 2013
Graphic Explanation
Upon first glance my painting may
seem superficially insensitive, as it portrays a woman with her fingers to her
head as if to hold a gun and red paint gushing out the other side (an obvious
portrayal of suicide) that automatically induces emotion in many if not all of
us. Whether we have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide, or have
just heard of one, suicide (along with suicidal thoughts and attempts) will
ultimately affect most if not all of us. This painting/collage that I decided
to do portrays a lot more than just a suicide, but also the insecurities and
imbalances of the mind that often lead to such a tragic ending.
The most apparent and noticeable
aspect of my painting is the bright red color. At first glance, you would just
see this red to represent blood, and although in many ways it does, it also
represents so much more. In my painting the color red represents confusion,
anger, bad habits, and all those things suicidal people struggle with on a
regular basis. It represents all of the demons inside a person that would cause
them to think negatively about him or her and lose sight of that which is good
and beautiful about life. The strong, forceful red I chose to use is also
deliberately overlapping and overpowering the calming green. This green hue
elicits feelings and emotion as well as the red, but these feelings are
extremely different and contrary to that of the powerful red.
The green that I chose to use is
that of serenity. This green calms and refreshes the soul, mind, and body. It also represents nature and the beauty and
tranquility found within. The simple green is intentionally overlapped and
overpowered by the red, which symbolized much about the suicidal mind. It
suggests that those who complete suicide are not able to see all that which is
good. It is said that “about 2/3 of people who complete suicide are depressed
at the time of their deaths.” Victims of suicide can only manage to see their
problems as if they are in a ten-foot hole with no way out. These victims “desperately
want to live; they are just unable to see alternatives to their problems.” (Suicidology.org).
This illustrates how the depressed mind
is unable to see the simplicity and goodness of life, and instead holds one
view through a magnifying glass held close to their problems. These problems
are specific and often many suicidal minds share the same few thoughts that
seem to plague the depressed mind.
These thoughts are represented in my
painting as the words that are scratched and painted in bold letters on top of
the red paint. These are words like “I can’t,” “self doubt,” “disappointment,”
and “fear.” These are the most common thoughts of the suicidal mind. They share
the same helplessness and insecurities that each person is faced with at one
time or another, but someone who is clinically depressed won’t recognize these
thoughts as maybe you or I would. An emotionally and mentally stable person is
able to recognize these negative emotions along side positive emotions. They
are able to take note of these emotions and take the necessary steps to rid
themselves of these unwanted tendencies. On the other hand, someone who is
clinically depressed is not able to distinguish the good from the bad and sees
only negativity because depression plagues their mind in all facets of their
life. We all may feel inadequate at times, but depression is “more than just a
bout of the blues, it isn't a weakness, nor is it something that you can simply
"snap out" of. Depression is a chronic illness that usually requires
long-term treatment.” (mayoclinic.com)
This treatment attempts to open the victims view and will allow them to see all
the goodness that life has to offer.
This positivity and goodness is
represented by the decoupage of words on top of the green area of my painting.
These are words like “opportunity,” “peace,” “beauty,” and “love.” Whether we
recognize them or not, this positivity is all around us all the time and these
feelings of love and happiness truly are available to all. The only difference
is that someone who is depressed is unable to see the positivity surrounding him
or her. Along with words that go along with positive feelings I chose to use
pictures and symbols as well. Some of these pictures are butterflies, beautiful
pieces of music, the words of a poem, and the beauty of a pressed flower. All
of these things that elicit joy in our lives are perceived differently,
depending on the eye of the beholder.
The eye of the beholder, in this
painting would be the woman in the bottom left corner. This woman is not the
main aspect of the painting, but is a very important characteristic of it. Her
expression is bleak and her gaze hopeless as she looks down and away from the
viewer, as if to represent how distorted and “off-center” her views are. She
views the world in a completely different way than most of us do.
The color of this woman is blue and
it is very symbolic because blue represents sadness and depression. She is
obviously depressed and overwhelmed by her perceptions of how her life is at
the moment. People that are depressed and/or suicidal do not necessarily want
to die and end their life; they may just see no way out at that particular
moment and erroneously convince themselves that suicide is the right answer.
Suicide is never the right answer.
No matter how dismal your situation may be, never think that suicide is the
best way out of it. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has said
that, “every 40 seconds someone in the world dies by suicide. And every 41
seconds someone is left to make sense of it.” I have personally seen the
effects of suicide in my life as I have had a dear cousin of mine take his life
at the young age of sixteen. After seeing all that his death has done to my
family, never would I want anyone to ever go through a similar experience, and
still, as I have finished writing this sentence there has been another person
who had intentionally ended their life.
The numbers and statistics
surrounding suicide are astonishing. An average of 402 Utahns die from
suicide and 4,152 Utahns attempt suicide each year. More Utahns are treated in
an emergency department or hospitalized due to suicide attempts than are
fatally injured. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for Utah youth ages
10-17 and Utah young adults ages 18-24. Suicide is also the 4th leading cause
of death for Utah adults ages 24-64 (Health.Utah.gov).
Along
with depression, drug abuse plays a huge role in the suicidal deaths of so many
of our loved ones. Prior to I960 the most frequent means of committing suicide
in the United States were firearms, hanging, and exhaust gases; between 1953
and 1963 the incidence of suicide due to these causes did not change
significantly. However, during the same ten-year period, the number of suicides
by drugs tripled, and by 1962 ranked third among the methods used; barbiturates
were the drug most frequently used. (Eugene 1058) By use of a standard
reporting form, extensive data were gathered on 651 deaths involving
psychotropic drugs and recorded with the Coroner's or Medical Examiner's Office
in each of four major U.S. cities. Thirty-six per cent of these deaths were
listed as "Definitely Suicide" and 44 per cent were listed as
"Non-Suicide". (Eugene 1058)
In
the October ARCHIVES OF GENERAL PSYCHIATRY, the UCSD researchers present their
analysis of 283 suicide victims from 1981-83. They found: 53
percent of those under 30 were posthumously diagnosed as drug abusers, compared
with 17 percent of the general population of that age. These victims tended to
abuse several substances at the same time. 9 percent of the
under-30 suicide victims suffered depression and 12 percent suffered psychosis.
This group also showed a higher incidence of both depression and drug and
alcohol abuse than seen in the past 30 years. Only one-third of
suicide victims had received mental health treatment during the last year of
life, and only half had ever received treatment at all. (Science News 15)
Upon
reading these last two paragraphs it becomes evident that drug abuse and
depression play an extreme role in suicide. It is also made clear that the
treatment of these hindrances plays an extreme role in preventing suicide. With
more and more deaths by suicide each year, it is our responsibility to take an
active role in the prevention of such a tragic statistic that leaves thousands
of families left without a loved one each year. There are many suicide
prevention and suicide awareness programs whose aim is bring awareness and to
educate the general public and put an end to the tragedy of suicide. It is our
duty as friends and family to educate ourselves and find help for those at risk
who are silently begging for our help. Help put an end to suicide! Never let
depression slip silently towards suicide and always be kind to others, you
never know just what struggles a person may be dealing with.
Works Cited
"Age,
Depression, Drugs Linked To Suicide." Science News 15 (1986): 228. JSTOR
Life Sciences. Web. 29 September 2013.
Eugene
C. Dinovo, et al. "A Comparison Of Suicide And Non-Suicide Deaths
Involving Psychotropic Drugs In Four Major U.S. Cities." American Journal
Of Public Health 66.11 (1976): 1058-1061. Business Source Premier. Web. 29
Sept. 2013.
Mayoclinic.com. Mayo Foundation for
Medical Education and Research. Depression (major depression). 10 February, 10. Website. 16 October, 13.
Suicidology.org.
American Association Of Suicidology. “Some Facts About Suicide And Depression.”
29 June 2010. Website. 26 Sept. 2013.
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