“The Office” noose not funny to suicide prevention groups

NEW YORK (AP) - People at some suicide prevention groups aren’t laughing over a scene in “The Office” where Steve Carell’s clueless character tries to scare children by struggling in a hangman’s noose. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other mental health organizations say NBC and other entertainers should stop using suicide as a punchline. They worry it could encourage mentally ill people to take their own lives. A spokesman from one of the groups says the scene from “The Office” “kind of crossed the line.“