Suicide and the Creative Arts

Suicide and the Creative Arts (Psychology Research Progress Series) Hardcover – July 1, 2009

Artistic work itself has been thought of as a life-saving behavior for some suicidal artists. Artistic depictions of suicide can also have a contagion effect, causing suicides among members of the real-world audience. Guidelines are still needed for institutions such as the motion picture industry for minimizing possible copycat effects of suicides in feature films and other artistic displays of suicide. Perhaps one of the most important reasons for studying suicide art is for insights into the motives for suicide. Artists portrayed many motives for suicide long before the rise of the science of suicidology in the 20th Century. Motives including social factors such as death of a loved one, honour, economic strain, and betrayal in love have roots in many historical artistic products. Sophocles' plays, dating from 2,500 years ago, contain several motives that are still found today. The history o