oblems may desire to listen to heavy metal music, because the lyrics mirror their own troubled emotions (2).Often physicians use music preference, usually heavy metal, to determine possible psychosocial problems in adolescent patients (Scheel 2). Sadly, Suicides are very common in America. The National Education Association estimates that many of the five hundred teenage suicides each year are linked to music lyrics. If preference for heavy metal music indeed reflects behavior, the question can be raised as to whether listening to this music ‘helps’ or ‘hurts’, since considering that teens usually turn on music in time of stress. More consistent evidence shows that fans experience positive affect shifts after listening to heavy metal or rap music. The lyrics seem to express how they are feeling and they can relate (3). Several lawsuits have been initiated against rock and rap artists and their recording companies as a result of teen suicide. However, they never hold up in court because of the artists right of freedom of speech. No one forces troubled teenagers to listen to these ‘offensive’ lyrics. Many play a role here, from the record company to the artist and the parents, but society needs to focus on whom the responsibility really belongs to.A 1996 study showed that boys and girls, ages twelve to nineteen, watched MTV (Music Television Network) for an average of 7 hours each week. It is believed that eliminating access to MTV decreases the amount of violent acts among teenagers and young adults (Christenson 4). Yet no evidence has proven that there was a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. According to the AAP, “Music videos dehumanize women, reducing them to body parts readily available for the sexual satisfaction of men” (5). Nevertheless, most networks do in fact have a rating system, including MTV, which tells the viewer that a show has explicit language and violence ...
