Their final words: An analysis of suicide notes from the United States.

The present study sought to explore motivations (affective, relationships, life events, injury/medical diagnosis) in suicide notes (N = 49) from the U.S. Authors ranged in age from 18 to 74 years and were majority male (73.5%). Four raters analyzed the notes and, through a series of meetings, came to a consensus on the motives behind each note writers' suicide in terms of the broader motivational themes and the narrower second-level themes. All notes were primarily affectional in nature, with some gender and age differences. For example, suicide notes from males frequently refer to financial hardships whereas suicide notes from females were more focused on lowered self-worth and notes written by younger persons focused more on affect and relationships, while notes written by older adults focused on life events and marriage difficulties and separation. Findings illuminate the varied nature of suicide motivations but also highlight important patterns across groups.

Fell on Black Days: Analyzing the Song Lyrics of Chris Cornell for Insight into Depression and Suicide.

Chris Cornell was a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and pioneer of grunge music. Cornell struggled with mental illness and addiction and incorporated these themes into his song lyrics. At age 52, Cornell died by suicide in his hotel bathroom following a live performance. This mixed-methods study examines Cornell's song lyrics for references to negative words and themes related to depression and suicide. Two coders independently reviewed lyrical transcripts to identify the primary theme, secondary theme(s), and valence (positive or negative). Sentiment analysis, a natural language processing technique, was used to examine word frequency and valence. Songs (N = 215) were predominantly (79%) negative and contained more negative (N = 3244, 56.1%) than positive (N = 2537, 43.9%) words. Thematic analysis by stage of career shows a narrowing focus on depression, failed relationships, and morbid thoughts. Themes of depressed mood, death, and suicide were common and increased by stage of career. By applying qualitative and quantitative techniques to song lyrics, this study revealed that Cornell's songs reflect a narrative of negativity consistent with someone experiencing depression and thoughts of death and suicide. Like personal notes and poems, song lyrics may reflect symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts warranting clinical attention.

Understanding Substance Use and Addiction Through the Lyrics of Black Sabbath: A Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Heavy metal music is distinguished for its deep sound and lyrical fixation with dark themes including war, destruction, doom, and misery. Such subjects permeate the music of Black Sabbath, the band generally considered the pioneers of heavy metal. One theme-substance use-is recurrent in Black Sabbath's songs and personal lives of its members. OBJECTIVE/METHODS: This study explored the band's relationship with substance use though a content analysis of all songs containing lyrics written and recorded in studio by Black Sabbath. The analysis included 156 songs across 19 albums recorded from 1970 to 2013. RESULTS: Three key findings emerged. First, a minority of songs (13%) contained substance references. Second, the songs with substance references were overwhelmingly (60%) negative, a pattern that increased over time. Third, despite many line-up changes over the band's 43-year period, every song referencing substance use except one featured vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and lyricist Geezer Butler. CONCLUSION: Contrary to the notion that heavy metal music glorifies or encourages substance use (Record Labeling, United States Senate, 1985), Black Sabbath's lyrics as a whole weave a cautionary tale of how persistent substance use can hijack free will, become the dominant focus of the affected individual, and produce myriad forms of human misery. The insidiousness of chronic substance use depicted by the lyrics mirrors findings from natural-history studies of individuals with substance use disorders and aligns with neurobiological heuristics of addiction.

Pursuing the panderer: an analysis of United States v. Williams.

In May 2008, the Supreme Court addressed whether the government can regulate the ownership and distribution of virtual child pornography. U.S. v. Williams marked the first time the Court directly addressed the concept of pandering virtual child pornography. This article examines the Court's decision in U.S. v. Williams and the relative importance of its holding. In U.S. v. Williams, the Supreme Court upheld an act of Congress targeting the business people behind the child pornography market. Restricting the sale of both real and virtual child pornography is essential to combat the various problems surrounding its existence, which include policing its creation and distribution on the Internet as well as the connection between child pornography and subsequent sexual offenses against children.

Predictors of therapeutic engagement in prison-based drug treatment.

Few studies to date have examined predictors of therapeutic engagement (TE) or other indicators of responsiveness to prison drug treatment. Subjects were 347 inmates participating in a 12-month modified therapeutic community (TC) drug treatment program at a specialized treatment prison for convicted, drug-involved offenders. Data were obtained through correctional databases and the administration of the TCU Drug Screen II, the Resident Evaluation of Self and Treatment (REST), and the Counselor Rating of Client (CRC) form. Three main hypotheses were supported: (1) baseline motivation predicted therapeutic engagement net of other inmate characteristics; (2) critical dimensions of the treatment experience (e.g., peer support, counselor rapport) also predicted therapeutic engagement; and (3) dynamic predictors and programmatic characteristics became more important over time. Implications for research, theory and policy are discussed.