Simulating Suicide through Special Effect Makeup: A Visual Elicitation Study on Suicide Perceptions in Ghana

ABSTRACT: This study employs visual elicitation to highlight the complex social perceptions surrounding suicide in Ghana. Suicide is a pressing public health issue in Ghana, with official data obscured by stigma and underreporting, while media estimates suggest around 1,556 annual deaths. Suicide by jumping stands out for its public, traumatic visibility, especially on campuses. Existing literature maps epidemiology but overlooks raw social and witness perspectives. Grounded in an integrated theoretical framework of Social Constructionism and Symbolic Interactionism, the simulation is conceptualised as a deliberately constructed cultural artefact designed to trigger and externalise communal discussions. Following a structured creative design process, a realistic dummy depicting injuries consistent with a fall from a significant height was created and exhibited at the University of Education, Winneba. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants who witnessed the simulation. Thematic analysis of participant responses identified four key themes: (1) the revelatory nature of special effects makeup as a local artistic and communicative medium; (2) the simulation’s achieved verisimilitude, which successfully suspended disbelief and elicited visceral reactions; (3) the clear decoding of the simulation’s intent as an awareness-raising and deterrent tool; and (4) the channelling of visceral revulsion into strong personal and social deterrent messages against suicide. The findings demonstrate that the simulated artefact functioned as a potent symbolic stimulus, enabling access to the often-unspoken social scripts and stigmatising attitudes that define the aftermath of suicide in Ghana. The study concludes that special effects makeup, repurposed as a scholarly tool for visual elicitation, provides a valuable ethical means to explore sensitive social perceptions, making internalised stigma externally visible and analysable. This approach offers critical insights for developing culturally sensitive postvention strategies, destigmatisation campaigns, and preventive interventions in Ghana and similar socio-cultural contexts.

Keywords: Suicide, Visual Elicitation, Special Effects Makeup, Social Constructionism, Symbolic Interactionism.