Actress Idina Menzel has been accused of inappropriate behaviour after making a joke on TV about slashing her wrists.
The Broadway star, known for voicing main character Elsa in Disney's hit movie Frozen, has been criticised by a mental health charity for mocking suicide.
In a TV interview on Tuesday, Menzel was asked which songs made her cry.
"You'd think because I'm a singer I listen to a lot of music, which I do, but there's certain music that I think is so devastatingly beautiful that it's too painful to listen to sometimes," she said.
"There's this Meshell Ndegeocello album, Bitter, that I just can't listen to.
"It's so good. It makes me just want to slit my wrists."
The phrase did not please the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which accused Menzel of showing "a lack of education".
"Self harm and suicide is a very serious situation. Some people may not realise the impact of that type of statement," they said.
"It shows a lack of education around the pain families and individuals go through and further stigmatises mental health."
Jessica Cruz, the charity's director, said it was "joking about self harm when self harm is not a joke".
"It's not an appropriate metaphor. She needs to consider the impact of her statement," the charity added.
It is not the first time Menzel has joked about self harm.
In an interview to the New York Times in 2014, the actress said: "I suppose if Christmas makes you depressed this album might make you want to slit your wrists."
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