The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Internet searches on suicide rose after ‘13 Reasons Why’
In the season finale of the popular Netflix TV series “13 Reasons Why,” 17-yearold student Hannah Baker kills herself in a prolonged three-minute scene.
Even though the entire story, much of it told through flashbacks, has been leading up to this moment, and viewers already know Hannah is dead, the graphic sequence is a torment to watch. New research suggests that the show — perhaps this very scene — could have triggered suicidal thoughts in its viewers, many of whom are young people.
The 13-episode series, which was released all at once, chronicles 13 tapes that Hannah sends to those she blames for her actions. The series has captured the imagination of kids across the country. In April, it set a record for the most-tweetedabout show in 2017, when it was mentioned more than 11 million times within three weeks of its March 31 launch.
Now a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that within the same three weeks, internet searches about suicide were significantly higher than expected.
“Our analyses suggest ‘13 Reasons Why,’ in its present form, has both increased suicidal awareness while unintentionally increasing suicidal ideation,” the authors wrote. “The most rising queries focused on suicidal ideation. For instance, ‘how to commit suicide’, ‘commit suicide’ and ‘how to kill yourself ’ were all significantly higher.”
Overall, suicide queries were 19 percent higher in the 19 days following the series’ release, “reflecting 900,000 to 1.5 million more searches than expected,” the paper reported.
John Ayers, professor of public health at San Diego State University, decided to analyze the impact of the show after it sparked a spirited debate between its creators and mental health professionals and educators about its potentially damaging influence on children. His goal was to use near-realtime data to assess any damage quickly.
“Past studies have validated that Internet searches mirror real-world suicide rates, so suicide rates have likely gone up as a result of this program,” said Ayers. “For me, as a data-driven public health scientist, I see this troubling data as a strong call to action. The show must be taken down.”
Netflix replied in a statement: “We always believed this show would increase discussion around this tough subject matter. This is an interesting quasi-experimental study that confirms this. We are looking forward to more research and taking everything we learn to heart as we prepare for Season 2.”
Netflix has also included warnings ahead of its three most graphic episodes, including the finale with the suicide scene, and links to suicide prevention websites and a hotline.
Since its release, hundreds of school superintendents across the United States have sent warnings to parents about the show’s possible effects on their children’s mental health.
The National Association of School Psychologists put out a public caution, recommending that young people with known suicidal thoughts stay away from the show completely.
The fear of Hannah Bakercopycats is not just theoretical — several child psychiatrists have already begun to see suicidal patients who bring up the show during treatment.
Dan Nelson, medical director of the child psychiatry inpatient unit at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, says “13 Reasons Why” first caused him alarm when he spoke with a 12-year-old patient about it in May.
“She said to me, ‘I saw that show and it really convinced me that suicide was a normal thing to do,’” he said. “I’ve never heard that. In 30 years, I’ve never heard a child say this thing made me think suicide is normal. That really got my attention.”
According to researchers, including Ayers, the effects of the show could be curtailed, for instance by removing the scenes showing suicide.
“I’m not a proponent of censorship, but if there’s a way to retrofit it, they should. The story line and certain scenes would have to be changed considerably before it would be safe and responsible,” said Madelyn Gould, youth suicide expert and professor of epidemiology in psychiatry at Columbia University, who was not involved with the research. “Even if the series raised some awareness, the question the creators need to ask is - at what price?”