Experts worry about danger of TV series 13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why is “not the kind of dialogue we want to have”
WATERLOO REGION — Local suicide prevention advocates are giving reasons why not to watch the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” that revolves around a student who kills herself.
They say the show glamorizes suicide and offers an overly simplistic view of a very complicated issue.
“Many people experience all sorts of life’s adversities, but don’t get to the point that they take their own life,” said Tana Nash, executive director of the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council.
The show’s main character records a series of tapes before her suicide, detailing why she blames certain people for her death while recounting the turmoil of her high school life.
There can be catalysts, but there is never a simple answer to explain why a person takes their own life.
“There’s no one contributor to suicide,” Nash said. “It is very complex.”
The show sparked much discussion among suicide prevention experts and educators, who view it as potentially dangerous for youth who watch.
“The worry for us would be some type of suicide contagion,” Nash said.
Youth are impressionable and can start to identify with the main character and her difficult experiences, and then think suicide is an option.
Especially troubling is the last episode which shows her death. Experts advise media to stay away from explaining the method when reporting on suicide because that can have unintended consequences.
“We can see a spike in suicide deaths done in the same method,” Nash said. The show depicts the girl reaching out to a councillor for support, but it does not go well. Nash reminds people that counselling is personal and sometimes it takes time to find a good match, but lots of help is available and people shouldn’t hesitate to ask if they’re struggling.
“There is help in our community. There’s many different services available,” Nash said.
She encourages parents to ask their children if they’ve watched the show, and then have a discussion about it. For instance, ask what they would do differently than the main character and what are some coping strategies for dealing with difficult situations.
Both local school boards released some guidance for teachers if they are approached by a student who watched the show and had questions or concerns, provided by a provincial team that supports school boards in promoting student mental health and well-being.
“It’s very graphic and could potentially trigger very vulnerable young people,” said Laura Shoemaker, a superintendent with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board.
Educators are concerned about the messages children can take from the show, such as there’s no way out of bullying. That runs contrary to what they’re trying to teach in the classroom, and also the work they do to ensure struggling students don’t feel isolated.
“We want students to know there’s people you can talk to,” Shoemaker said.
But rather than exploring mental-health issues, the show’s focus is on revenge.
“It doesn’t talk about the pain she is feeling,” Shoemaker said.
She said the show also perpetuates the idea that death by suicide is the result of a person or event, and that emphasis on blame also troubles Nash.
“Very clearly suicide is never the fault of the survivors of suicide loss,” she said.
Nash wants to remind people that it is not a documentary, but rather entirely fictional. “I think people are taking it to be too real,” she said.
While normally the council encourages people to talk openly about suicide, that’s not the case around “13 Reasons Why.”
“This is not the kind of dialogue we want to have. We want to focus on resilience,” Nash said.