Jean Carlo Rodriguez Agramonte

de 2015
801096075

24 de abril
Psychopathology

Untitled- Simple Plan

I open my eyes
I try to see but I'm blinded by
the white light
I can't remember how
I can't remember why
I'm lying here tonight

nothing mattered
And I can't explain what
happened
And I can't erase the things that
I've done
No, I can't

And I can't stand the pain

And I can't make it go away
No, I can't stand the pain

How could this happen to me?

I made my mistakes
Got nowhere to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me?

How could this happen to me?

I made my mistakes
Got nowhere to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me?
Everybody's screaming
I try to make a sound but no one
hears me
I'm slipping off the edge
I'm hanging by a thread
I wanna start this over again
So I try to hold onto a time when

I made my mistakes
Got nowhere to run
The night goes on
As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me?

This song begins with a description of a scene between life and

death after an attempted suicide. The singer says that he is blinded
by the white light, as it has been referred to throughout the years
when nearing death they claim to see a light. This is the first indication
that the singer is referring to some psychiatric disorder in which he felt
the need to commit suicide or attempt it. He then proceeds to explain
that he cannot stand the pain or make it go away, which is
somatization. The latter being a comorbid of mood disorders including
major depressive disorder. He then uses expressions such as Im
fading away and Im sick of this life which can be construed as
feeling despair and morose. Moreover, hes feeling inappropriate guilt
and expresses that he cant erase the things that hes done. Taking in
to consideration DSM V criterion for major depressive disorder I believe
he has traits that go accordingly with this diagnosis. Although the
criterion for MDD is time dependent the song does not provide a
timeline of his symptoms, however, I believe that when he says Im
slipping off the edge Im hanging from a thread, it might imply the
chronicity of his symptoms and the fact the he cannot deal with them
anymore.
When the songwriter, Chuck Comeau, wrote the song he was 25
years old, along with his band members who are also in their early
20s. The average age of onset is 29 and is seen more in women than
men. However, they are at an age where cases are common. Also, they
are at an age in which suicide is seen in patients with MDD.
Music is an art form sure, but music is to me about
communicating a sentiment through art. Music can explain feelings
that are hard to put into words. Weve all been in situations in which it
becomes impossible to explain to the other person, confidant or
relative, what it is exactly you are feeling and you listen to a song and
suddenly you feel identified. I believe this activity will prove to be to all
of us students of great help in our humanistic approach toward our
patients. This exercise helps you pick up on emotions and wording that
might sound familiar to you in the future. Better yet identifying

symptoms in a song might help you understand better a patient by

providing examples of what he or she cannot put into words. I very
much encourage the continuation of this activity and look forward to
hearing or reading some interpretations and diagnosis done by my
classmates.