Pick your angst - rap, metal or trance
Kate Benson Medical Reporter August 5, 2008
DOCTORS should ask their teenage patients what type of music they prefer to determine if they are at risk of developing a mental illness or committing suicide, researchers say.
A study, published in today's Australasian Psychiatry journal, found that teens who listen to pop music are more likely to be struggling with their sexuality, those tuning in to rap or heavy metal could be having unprotected sex and drink-driving, and those who favour jazz are usually misfits and loners, prompting a call for doctors to include musical tastes as a diagnostic indicator in mental health assessments.
"There is no evidence to suggest that the type of music you listen to will cause you to commit suicide, but those who are vulnerable and at risk of committing suicide may be listening to certain types of music," the author of the study, Felicity Baker, said yesterday.
She said an Australian study of year 10 students had shown significant associations between heavy metal music and suicide ideation, depression, delinquency and drug-taking, while an American study had also shown that young adults who regularly listened to heavy metal had a higher preoccupation with suicide and higher levels of depression than their peers.
Deliberate self-harm and attempted suicide was also associated with teenagers who listened to trance, techno, heavy metal and medieval music as part of the goth subculture, while those who attended dance parties were much more likely than their peers to be taking drugs.
Some genres of rap music, such as French rap, were linked to more deviant behaviours including theft, violence and drug use, while teens listening to hip-hop were usually less troublesome, Dr Baker said.
Michael Bowden, a child psychiatrist and the head of medical programs at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, said most doctors already questioned teen patients about their influences from peers, the internet and music.
"The key to understanding any teenager is to treat them with respect by listening to what they have to say, rather than typecasting them according to the type of music they listen to," he said.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:23 (fifteen years ago) link
"teens who listen to pop music are more likely to be struggling with their sexuality"
Oh, it wasn't a struggle! Except in a dodgy tenuous "nude wrestling" analogy kind of way.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:24 (fifteen years ago) link
Some genres of rap music, such as French rap, were linked to more deviant behaviours including theft, violence and drug use, while teens listening to hip-hop were usually less troublesome
wait what
― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:25 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=21615596706&topic=4477
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:28 (fifteen years ago) link
Love the helpful caption that went with the print version:
WHAT STUDIES SAY ABOUT YOUR SOUNDS
POP: Confirmists, overly responsible, role-conscious, struggling with sexuality or peer acceptance
HEAVY METAL: Higher levels of suicidal tendency, depression, drug use, self-harm, shoplifting, vandalism, unprotected sex
DANCE: Higher levels of drug use regardless of socio-economic background
JAZZ/RHYTHM & BLUES: Introverted misfits, loners
RAP: Higher levels of theft, violence, anger, street gang membership, drug use and misogyny
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:30 (fifteen years ago) link
Confirmists?
― max, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:31 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^old ilx
^^^nu ilx
― The stickman from the hilarious "xkcd" comics, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:32 (fifteen years ago) link
Sorry, that was my typo - conformists.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:33 (fifteen years ago) link
I didn't know Goths listen to Medieval music. Or that French rap isn't hip-hop. Thank you scientists for enlightening me!
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:40 (fifteen years ago) link
HEAVY METAL: unprotected sex
This is ridiculous, what about Manowar's 'Warrior's Shield' condoms
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:42 (fifteen years ago) link
Also, surely these results depend on what the significance of a certain musical genre is in different countries? For example, in Finland trance is typically listened by "chavs" and metal is the most popular genre of them all, so I don't think the linkage to suicide and depression would be as pronounced here.
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 10:44 (fifteen years ago) link
POP: Confirmists
A genius typo.
There warnt no print edition. This is Tim F fuckin around....right?
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 11:52 (fifteen years ago) link
medieval music as part of the goth subculture
Oh good. My love for filk shall cause me no harm. Whew!
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 11:54 (fifteen years ago) link
This is hardcore comedy. I'm DYING to know what counts as hip-hop.
Essay question: Explain how hip-hop is a genre of rap. Be sure to focus on its less troublesome qualities in your answer.
Essay question: Which genres suggest that your teenage patients are NOT at risk of developing a mental illness or committing suicide? Why?
Essay question: What is pop?
― Kevin John Bozelka, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 12:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Rap is what you do, hip-hop is what you live, maaan!
― Tuomas, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 12:05 (fifteen years ago) link
Where is corny indie fuxs?
― NickB, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 12:08 (fifteen years ago) link
"There warnt no print edition. This is Tim F fuckin around....right?"
Ha I wish. This was in my local newspaper today.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 12:08 (fifteen years ago) link
Haha, I just saw this posted elsewhere. It's all true. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/pick-your-angst--rap-metal-or-trance/2008/08/04/1217701950029.html
― jaymc, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:25 (fifteen years ago) link
shaking-my-head.com.au
― deej, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:29 (fifteen years ago) link
So can someone confirm for me that girls struggling with their sexuality listen to chart pop?
― Tim F, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:31 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.yoursonglyrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/i-kissed-a-girl-katy-perry.jpg
― jaymc, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:38 (fifteen years ago) link
that song is better than the Jill Sobule one, isn't it
― wanko ergo sum, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:45 (fifteen years ago) link
I don't really like any of the genres listed to the point of describing myself as "a X fan"; I guess the closest is jazz. Which suggests I'm a loner. Which is probably right.
― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 5 August 2008 14:46 (fifteen years ago) link