Song For a Friend

Artist: Logan Chan, 28

Denver, CO

Ethnicity: Chinese

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1) My submission is a video of me performing an original song that I wrote from the perspective of someone who is concerned about the mental health of their friend.

 

2) The lyrics tell about how someone might start a conversation with their friend, emphasizing how important it is to validate their feelings. The narrator offers their friend assistance with connecting to resources and people who may be able to help.

 

3) The personal meaning of the submission is that I have friends and family that have mental health issues and I am working on being more supportive.

 

4) I did some research on talking about suicidal thoughts as someone who is concerned about a friend/family member and learned a lot. I learned that starting a conversation, having resources on hand, being empathetic and not critical are all important in supporting someone who might be having suicidal thoughts. One finding that really stuck out to me was the misconception that talking about suicide might "put the idea in someone's head", research shows that conversations about suicide are unlikely to lead to suicidal ideation.

 

5) My message of hope is that sometimes, one has to reach out to friends and family in order to give hope to people that need it.