Suicide is an issue mental health professionals deal with from the perspective of both the individuals who are contemplating or have attempted suicide and from the perspective of those who have lost a loved one to suicide. Because of this, we collectively tend to perk up when mainstream media depicts suicide– especially as it relates to young people. Netflix’s original series “13 Reasons Why” does just that, culminating in a controversially graphic depiction of teen suicide. Brooke Fox, LCSW, wrote a thoughtful piece in response to the series, and we thought it was worth sharing an excerpt here. If you live in the greater Cleveland area and are dealing with suicide or suicidal thoughts, we hope you’ll reach out. If you’re outside of the Cleveland area, we hope you’ll contact someone who can help, like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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- The suicide scene is cause for outrage. I am not for censorship. I am not Tipper Gore from the 80’s. But this scene was, plain and simple, a tutorial on how to complete the act of ending your life. It was graphic, It was bloody, and it was unnecessary. The book ended with a pill overdose, and yet the series ended with razor blades. Why? What purpose did changing Hannah’s method — and graphically depicting the suicide — serve?
- 13 Reasons Why glamorizes suicide. The series, and the book, go against best practices for addressing suicide responsibly. ReportingOnSuicide.org created recommendations as a guideline for the media on how to safely report on suicide. Research shows us that how suicide is reported has an impact on the public health of society. According to ReportingOnSuicide.org:
- Don’t sensationalize the suicide
- Don’t talk about the contents of the suicide note, if there is one
- Don’t describe the suicide method
- Report suicide as a public health issue
- Don’t speculate why the person might have done it
- Don’t quote or interview police or first responders about the causes of suicide
- Describe the suicide as “died by suicide” or “completed” or “killed him/herself” rather than “committed suicide”
- Don’t glamorize suicide