Scientists want ‘13 Reasons Why’ edited after study shows increased suicidal thoughts
When the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” was released this March, it gained nationwide attention for its depiction of teenage depression and suicide.
In the show, a high school student named Hannah Baker commits suicide after a series of crushing circumstances caused by her fellow classmates. Before her suicide, Baker records a box of cassette tapes detailing the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself.
The show’s finale also graphically displays Baker’s suicide during a three-minute scene.
There was much debate about whether the show did more harm than good, especially for younger viewers in one of the more vulnerable stages of their life. And now a study published in the journal Jama Internal Medicine suggests the show might have increased suicidal ideation in some of the show’s viewers.
The researchers used Google Trends to track internet search data from March 31 — the day the show premiered — to April 18, a date chosen to avoid potential interference from search traffic about NFL player Aaron Hernandez’s suicide one day later.
Overall, the study found a significant increase in searches about suicide during the 19 days following the release of ‘13 Reasons Why.’ There was a 26 percent increase in searches for “how to commit suicide,” an 18 percent increase in searches for “commit suicide” and a 9 percent increase in searches for “how to kill yourself,” according to the study.
But there was also an increase in internet traffic for those presumably looking to help themselves or others.
There was a 21 percent uptick in searches for “suicide hotline number” and a 23 percent increase in searches for “suicide prevention.” The number of searches for “teen suicide” increased by 34 percent.
The authors of the study said these findings back up the World Health Organization’s guidelines on how to prevent suicide, which includes avoiding detailed depictions of suicide methods.
“Psychiatrists have expressed grave concerns, because the show ignores the World Health Organization’s validated media guidelines for preventing suicide,” John W. Ayers of San Diego State University, a coauthor of the study, told Fatherly.
In the study, Ayers and his coauthors recommend that Netflix remove any graphic suicidal scenes from ‘13 Reasons Why’ or add suicide hotline numbers into each episode. They also recommend TV shows undergo an analysis of some sort “to evaluate any effect on public health outcomes before release to minimize societal harms.”
Nic Sheff, one of the show’s writers, defended the decision to include the graphic depiction of Baker’s suicide in a Vanity Fair op-ed. Sheff said he tried to kill himself one day, but stopped because he remembered a story a woman once told him about her own suicide attempt.
“If that woman had not told me her story, I wouldn’t be here now,” he wrote. “I would’ve missed out on all the amazing gifts I have in my life today.”
But Ayers still believes “13 Reasons Why” could have caused less damage with a happier ending.
“I’d create a show that offers a message those contemplating suicide need to hear — a success story of how someone contemplating suicide sought and was given help, and persevered to have a full life,” Ayers said to Fatherly. “This is where ‘13 Reasons Why’ totally misses the mark.”
This story was originally published August 1, 2017 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Scientists want ‘13 Reasons Why’ edited after study shows increased suicidal thoughts."