Now, more than ever, it’s important to talk about mental health.
While MTV may be known for its reality shows like The Challenge, Jersey Shore and Teen Mom, the network is also well aware of America’s reality. People are mentally struggling, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rates of suicide among young people jumped 56% in the last 10 years. And in August 2020, the CDC reported that a quarter of young adults have seriously contemplated suicide during the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, MTV will spotlight nine young adults who are all suicide attempt survivors or have struggled with suicidal ideation in the commercial-free documentary, Each and Every Day. According to filmmaker Alexandra Shiva, each participant has a story worth hearing.
“These individuals have so much to teach us about how to manage in isolation, how to manage in stress and anxiety and they had been working for so long in their own lives to try and temper anxiety and create coping skills so it was really interesting to hear from them,” she exclusively shared with E! News. “Each and every person we spoke to just wanted to give back. There’s a sense of, ‘What did I need when I was going through the dark times for myself?’ and ‘How could I give hope to someone who could be going through that who doesn’t have an outlet or hasn’t seen themselves reflected back?’ and I thought that was incredible.”