13 Reasons Why: diametric opposite of suicide prevention

by Cameo Turner

Netflix Original’s TV show 13 Reasons Why hit to home hard, New Zealand a country on the edge of the world no one would assume would suffer from the highest youth suicide rates in the world.

This Netflix Original received severe criticism in regards to the shows treatment of suicide. From the first episode of this Netflix Original, the persona of suicide seemed as a joke where viewers should feel ashamed believing this is the truth of the unfortunate path people decide to take of life not being worth living.

Although there are many issues with the narrative of the show, the biggest concern of the first series is that protagonist Hannah Baker enthuses to the audience that there is life after death. For the target age range of this show, this is a very concerning element to play on.

Netflix has specified this show at a younger audience, whom look to these characters for relatability and guidance through idolisation. In doing so, 13 Reasons Why has given a false representation of suicide. This has been evidently proven where two young girls in the U.S took their lives after being known to watch this show and collection “inspiration” from it. Now if this isn’t a trigger warning for what should and shouldn’t have censor ratings, then I don’t know what is.

This idea of “life after death” is evident from the start of the show where a voice over of Hannah Baker is used. “We will get through this step by step”. So what? There are rules to how people must suffer after her death? Alongside this, it is made out to be as if she is watching over you with her classmates and family suffering from her decision to end her life. Not only is this unrealistic, but it puts ideas in young viewer’s heads that they will be able to see what a world would be like without them, an unrealistic concept that should never be made apparent to developing minds.

The obvious problem here is that the adolescent mind is looking for attention. Through this vision of being able to see the repercussions of what happens after dying, it puts these young teenagers in a mindset that “life” will be better afterwards. Giving this option of thought is absurd and that should be informed more regularly for those with this mentality.

Mindframe’s Suicide and Mental Illness in the Media summaries that they have found a relationship between the method of suicide portrayed in television and increased rates of teen suicides. It seems beyond common sense to why producers would even go down this insincere path of television when these evidential studies have been found. Why would someone ever play on the idea of increasing suicide risk? This is nothing more that inconsiderate and insulting to society and 13 Reasons Why should be nothing more than embarrassed to the repercussions of this show. It is so distressing for the potential this show could have had in suicide prevention but it has taken a diametric opposite route.