Date
5-22-2024
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Chair
Timothy Christian
Keywords
Fiction, Mental Health, Suicide, Destigmatization, Werther Effect, Papageno Effect
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Ashlee Cierra, "The Narrative Matters: Depictions of Mental Health and Suicide in Fiction" (2024). Masters Theses. 1167.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/1167
Abstract
The following thesis submission includes an Artist's Statement that shares the origin and plan for the creative manuscript. A critical paper follows that which discusses the importance of the fiction narrative when discussing sensitive topics such as mental health and suicide. With a focus on the Werther and Papageno Effects, different fiction texts are discussed and analyzed to show the negative effects that can come from a hopeless narrative as well as the positive effects that can come from a hopeful narrative. The creative manuscript that follows is the story of a young man, Jayden Walker, who has his own mental health struggles in the hopes of sharing a story of hope when dealing with mental health and suicide.
