Distress line calls spike after suicide series airs
Downtown Mission records increase as teenagers react to Netflix’s 13 Reasons
The Downtown Mission, alarmed by the number of calls coming in on its distress line, is wading into the subject of teen suicide in response to a popular Netflix show that some critics say is glorifying the subject of teen suicide.
“We’ve had 12 suicide-related calls from January until (Monday) from people that self-identify as youth between the ages of 15 and 24,” said CEO Ron Dunn. “Twelve (calls) in six months is a pretty serious number.”
The mission is encouraging parents, legal guardians and young adults to use the series, called 13 Reasons Why, as a chance to discuss mental health and suicide with family members, offering a list of discussion points the public can use.
“All we’re doing is asking people to take the opportunity to discuss it with their youth that are 20-something-year-olds, and to see how they’re feeling about it,” Dunn said.
“To really tell them it’s fictional, that suicide is not an answer,” he added. “We don’t want people to suffer alone, or in silence.”
The season’s 13 episodes are narrated by fictional high school student Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford, who left recordings on cassettes before taking her own life. Each episode explores the role of various characters in her high school experience. She was a victim of bullying, sexual harassment and rape.
The show’s subject matter has sparked intense debates all over the Internet. Some question Baker’s likability as a protagonist, while others dive into the complex issue of depicting suicide on the big screens for relatively young audiences. There is also buzz over the show in Windsor-area schools.
“The students are talking about it. And certainly we have noticed the ones that have struggled, that it has caused them a little more stress, by watching that show,” said Charysse Pawley, supervisor of social work and attendance counselling services for the Greater Essex County School Board.
Ontario educators are being advised not to use the series in classrooms, and not to initiate conversations about the show unless first approached by students, said Karen Gignac, manager of mental health promotion at the WindsorEssex chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
“(The series) is never meant to be used in schools. We’re reacting to students. I have not heard that any of our staff members were planning to use it as an educational tool,” Pawley said.
“Talking about suicide is important. Talking about it does not create any interest in terms of encouraging somebody to die by suicide because we’re talking about it,” Gignac said.
“It’s good to talk about it, but always with a framework of coping, and (finding) where to get help, and seeking assistance when needed,” she added.
Mental-health services are available at the Downtown Mission. Its crisis helpline operates between noon and 12 a.m., seven days a week. There is also a text message service available between 2 p.m. and 2 a.m.
The students are talking about it. And certainly we have noticed the ones that have struggled, that it has caused them a little more stress.