Eric Gaillard via Reuters
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HEALTH – Stromae, absent since 2013, returned to the heart of the news with a moving performance during the TF1 newscast, this Sunday, January 9. The Belgian singer interpreted his new title there, hell, which sheds light on an issue rarely addressed so directly at this prime time: mental health and suicidal thoughts.
A particularly striking moment, noticed by millions of French and international viewers, including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization. On Twitter, he thanked the artist for his performance and his strong speech.
“Thank you Stromae for tackling the difficult subject of #suicide on your latest album. It is so important to ask for help if you have difficulties and to support those who need help”, wrote the president of the WHO on Twitter this Wednesday, January 12.
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And the boss of the WHO is not alone in thinking the same thing. Because if the interview-song of Stromae, rather unpublished on French television, could also be analyzed under the angle of a blow of com ‘, it nevertheless remains widely welcomed by mental health professionals.
Even before the thanks from Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Nicolas Rainteau, psychiatrist at the Montpellier University Hospital welcomed Stromae’s performance in a tweet: “The impact that Stromae had in 3 minutes, I would never have it in a lifetime as a psychiatrist !”
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We can say what we want, communication, marketing or whatever. The impact that had @Stromae in 3 minutes I would never have it in a psychiatrist’s life! Those who have experienced depression know that it is not easy to talk about it. He decides to do it. Frankly we take the gift!
—Nicolas Rainteau (@NicolasRainteau) January 10, 2022
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A feeling shared by Pierre Grandgenèvre, psychiatrist specializing in suicidology at the University Hospital of Lille, who confided Monday January 10 to the daily The voice of the North: “I am convinced that it will have an impact. This type of message carried by a star will allow free speech”.
And these intuitions can be verified. Last December, the British Medicine Journal published a study on the effect of his song 1-800-273-8255, by American rapper Logic, which is actually the hotline number for the suicide prevention line in the United States. According to the results of the study conducted by researchers in Vienna, this song would have allowed a 5.5% drop in suicides in the United States among 10-19 year olds, i.e. 245 deaths avoided.
At the beginning of the week, the daily Release revealed that the year 2021 had been marked by an increase in suicide attempts among adolescents, and more particularly teenage girls. According to data from Public Health France that the daily was able to consult, emergency room admissions for attempted suicides among young girls under 15 increased by 40% compared to the previous three years and by 22% for women aged 15 to 29. Among men, the figures remain high but stable.
In France, since October 1, an emergency number has been launched: 3114. This new free number guarantees “professional and confidential” listening 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by nurses and psychologists trained as responders. It targets people suffering from suicidal thoughts but also their relatives and people bereaved by suicide.
See also on The HuffPost: In China, This ‘Angel’ Saved Over 400 People From the ‘Suicide Bridge’
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