By Leila Merrill
LONDON — Public attention to the hip-hop song “1-800-273-8255” by Logic was linked to an increase in calls to the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and a reduction in suicide cases in the U.S., according to a recently published observational study.
Evidence exists that media reports of suicide can lead to more suicides, but the effects of stories of hope and recovery had been generally unknown and not studied until now, according to BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal from the British Medical Association.
The exception came in April 2017, when “1-800-273-8255” came out. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts.
Logic performed the song at the 2017 MTV Music Awards and the 2018 Grammy Awards.
In the days after the MTV performance, calls to the lifeline rose by 50% and led to a 5.5% reduction in suicide rates among people 10-19 years old. A similar effect was seen after the Grammy show.
“To know that my music was actually affecting people’s lives, truly, that’s what inspired me to make the song,” Logic told CNN Monday.
“We did it from a really warm place in our hearts to try to help people. And the fact that it actually did, that blows my mind,” Logic said.
The song features Alessia Cara and Khalid.
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