Death+and+Depression+A+Visual+Analysis+of+'Self-Loathing'

'Self-Loathing'

There's an old saying: "a picture is worth a thousand words," and //'Self-Loathing,'// an uploaded drawing by Princess-Hanners, provokes many words in the mind of its viewer. It depicts a dark, looming figure wrapping its claw-like hands around a girl's shoulders and whispering horrible things into the girl's ear, but there are more words one can associate with this image than those blatantly provided by the artist. It's easy to determine that the figure in the drawing is death due to its dark, foreboding characteristics and to the fact that many other depictions of death look very similar; what is harder to determine is the effect it has on the girl. Because of the common characteristics among portrayals of death, one can immediately recognize it, but a viewer must put more thought into the body language of the girl in the image. Her head is down with hair covering her face, her shoulders are slumped, she's on her knees, and barely able to hold herself up. She is closed off from the viewer; we can't see her eyes or her expression. However, the artist drew it like this for a reason. Princess-Hanners is portraying what it is like to be depressed or suicidal, potentially to someone who never has been or ever will be depressed or suicidal. Depression makes one feel like they don't matter and that no one really cares for them - these are actual thoughts that people have that can drive them closer to death. It also makes people feel closed off and alone, without anyone else to lean on. The importance of this image is derived from the attempt to get people who are not suicidal to understand how depression and suicidal thoughts can effect someone. Although depression has likely been around forever, society is just now beginning to accept it as a valid health issue and to stop the stigma it is surrounded by, which perhaps is because the suicide rate (in the United States alone) went up twenty-four percent between 1999 and 2014, according to the CDC. With rates like this, society shouldn't ignore problems and illnesses that lead to suicide, yet they still do. Images like the '//Self-Loathing//' help society to understand and have empathy for those suffering from suicidal thoughts; and with empathy and understanding comes change.

Works Cited:

Princess-Hanners. "Self-Loathing." //DeviantArt//, 25 Feb. 2014, @http://www.princess-hanners.deviantart.com/art/Self-Loathing-436697236/

Asrar, Shakeeb. "Suicide rate on the rise in U.S.." //USA Today//, n.p., 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. @http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/04/22/suicide-rate-rise-us/83284568/