Introduction
Many celebrities have committed suicide under quite controversial circumstances. The article “Death of a Beauty Queen” by Harrop (2022) shows the tragic death of Cheslie Kryst by suicide. Kryst is just one among the many celebrities who, despite seemingly leading a perfect life in the eyes of the public, have opted to end their lives through suicide. The truth is that people are increasingly having mental issues related to conventional definitions, such as drug abuse, job losses, or falling income. Therefore, suicide is increasingly associated with celebrities today, unrelated to wealth status, impulsive, and majorly results from external problems.
Celebrity Mental Health and the Pressures of Aging
Mental issues are a significant problem today for people, including celebrities, despite having enough wealth or income. People have other goals beyond the conventional standards of success defined by the world. It is thus not surprising that celebrities, whom many would have wanted to emulate, such as Kryst, end up committing suicide.
Harrop (2022) establishes that Kryst was traumatized because she was getting older. While getting old is a natural occurrence that everyone at one point has to undergo, Kryst viewed it from a different perspective, especially since she is a celebrity. To her, she thought of no other solution to her problem other than suicide. While it might seem ridiculous for someone to commit suicide due to such a natural occurrence as getting old, the truth is that many more people commit suicide or are thinking of doing so under similar circumstances.
External Problems as Emerging Risk Factors for Suicide
External problems have increasingly led people to commit suicide. It is no longer an issue of internal matters, but also external problems. Consequently, society must take seriously external problems that people undergo and extend its concern for suicide beyond the conventional risk factors. While it is essential to note the vast role that mental illness plays as a risk factor for suicide, we must acknowledge that the current world presents a lot of complexities and dynamism, which, resultantly, glorifies initially trivialized issues. Without much attention to these external problems that the contemporary world brings, many more cases of suicide will continue to arise.
Impulsivity and Despair in Contemporary Suicide Cases
I also acknowledge that suicide cases are often impulsive, thus informing us of how the slightest form of despair can be a cause for suicide today. Kryst did not give it a second thought as she jumped through a window, making her death extra tragic. It displays how external causes of despair, even though given less focus by the global community, can make people take the most extreme of options to end their lives. Kryst indeed opted for a sure way to end her life. To her, the problems she was going through were utterly irreversible, and she was at her lowest in terms of despair.
Conclusion
Therefore, I agree with the author’s argument that many people today, especially celebrities, suffer mental anguish despite having financial capabilities and other resources that the world holds dear to the human lifestyle. Renowned artists and celebrity stylists are suffering in silence, even though they put on a seemingly positive face in the eyes of the public.
The world must revise its perception of suicide and acknowledge that there are other causes of despair beyond the conventional ones. People must not downplay the role that external problems play in the various cases of suicide, such as Kryst’s. Society must redefine its perspective on suicide and implement strategies to address and counsel individuals on internal and external problems.
Reference
Harrop, F. (2022). Death of a Beauty Queen. Creators. Web.