{"id":100255,"date":"2017-04-28T23:25:56","date_gmt":"2017-04-29T03:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=100255"},"modified":"2017-04-28T23:25:56","modified_gmt":"2017-04-29T03:25:56","slug":"13-reasons-sparks-criticism-of-teen-suicide-depiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/04\/28\/13-reasons-sparks-criticism-of-teen-suicide-depiction\/","title":{"rendered":"’13 Reasons’ sparks criticism of teen suicide depiction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"It's<\/a>
It’s a scene as painful to watch as it is graphic: A 17-year-old girl climbs into a full bathtub with a razor. We see her slice into her skin, we see the blood pour out, hear her cry and struggle to breathe. Then she is still. (Photo: 13 Reasons Why TV\/Facebook)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 It’s a scene as painful to watch as it is graphic: A 17-year-old girl climbs into a full bathtub with a razor. We see her slice into her skin, we see the blood pour out, hear her cry and struggle to breathe. Then she is still.<\/p>\n

The suicide of the heroine in Netflix’s new popular series \u201c13 Reasons Why\u201d shouldn’t come as a shock, since it’s depicted in the final episode of a series built around the character’s death. But knowing that it is coming doesn’t make it any easier.<\/p>\n

That stomach-turning scene has triggered criticism that it romanticizes suicide and prompted many schools across the country to send warning letters to parents and guardians. The show’s creators are unapologetic, saying their frank depiction needs to be \u201cunflinching and raw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people are accusing the show of glamorizing suicide and I feel strongly \u2014 and I think everyone who made the show \u2014 feel very strongly that we did the exact opposite,\u201d said writer Brian Yorkey, who won a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for the musical \u201cNext to Normal,\u201d which grappled with mental illness. \u201cWhat we did was portray suicide and we portrayed it as very ugly and very damaging.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 13-episode drama, co-produced by actress and singer Selena Gomez, is based on Jay Asher’s young-adult 2007 bestseller about a high school student who kills herself and leaves behind 13 audiotapes detailing the events that led to her death, including sexual assault, substance abuse and bullying.<\/p>\n

Per usual, Netflix released all 13 hours of the series at once \u2014 on March 31 \u2014 leaving suicide prevention specialists worried teens might binge the entire series without a chance to fully absorb the issues and ask questions. They also say they wish the show would consistently flash the National Suicide Prevention hotline.<\/p>\n

\u201cGraphic details about suicide we know historically are not recommended,\u201d said Phyllis Alongi, the clinical director of The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide . \u201cI understand what the producers are saying but it could really be unsafe and I think we need to be a little more responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Netflix and the show creators point out that several mental health professionals were consulted and they offer a 30- minute show called \u201cBeyond the Reasons\u201d that delves deeper into the tougher topics portrayed, as well as links to a site with resources.<\/p>\n

The show is rated TV-MA, which means is may be unsuitable for children under 17, and three episodes that contain explicit material have \u201cviewer discretion advised\u201d warnings.<\/p>\n

But some mental health professionals are going further, with the National Association of School Psychologists declaring, \u201cWe do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series.\u201d<\/p>\n

Critics of the show argue that depression and mental illness \u2014 keys to understanding suicide \u2014 are rarely mentioned and the fact that its heroine, Hannah, gets to tell her story after her death sends a potentially dangerous message. They’re also upset that the school guidance counsellor depicted on the show seems to blame the victim.<\/p>\n

The Jed Foundation and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education joined forces to create 13 talking points for young adults and guardians to discuss while watching the series, including warnings that the way the counsellor is portrayed is \u201cnot typical\u201d and that \u201cleaving messages from beyond the grave is a dramatization produced in Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n

School systems across the country are alerting parents, making them aware that their teens may be streaming the series, urging them to watch it with them, and providing information to help them talk about it.<\/p>\n

In the upstate New York community of Grand Island, school administrators warned that the series \u201csensationalizes suicide.\u201d Indiana’s largest school district warned in an email that the series \u201cdoes not accurately model what we would want or hope individuals do if they are struggling or in crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Maryland, principals in the Montgomery County public school system noticed teens talking about the series and wanted to make sure parents had resources to handle tough questions. A warning letter and links to resources eventually went out to all 35,000 middle schoolers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a lot to take in and digest. If you’re a young, growing mind being informed by what you see, this could have an impact,\u201d said Derek Turner, spokesman for the district. \u201cSo we’re giving them tips and tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide was the second leading cause of death for children and young adults ages 10 to 24 in 2014.<\/p>\n

Dr. Helen Hsu, a clinical psychologist in Fremont, California, whose work involves suicide prevention in schools, helped shape some of the \u201c13 Reasons Why\u201d scripts. She said not showing Hannah’s suicide would be almost \u201ccoy and avoidant\u201d and that medical studies aren’t definitive about the risks of suicide contagion. Plus, there are already graphic how-to guides online.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you think your child can’t find this in one second on the internet already in the past 10 years, you are sadly mistaken,\u201d she said. \u201cTo say this is going to trigger that is sort of naive. What I really emphasized in the script writing was I said. ‘It has to focus on that it’s not glamorous, that it’s ugly, it’s painful and I really want you to focus on the pain of her parents and the people left.\u201d’<\/p>\n

While suicide has been depicted on TV shows, the youth of the roles in \u201c13 Reasons Why\u201d is pioneering. It has clearly struck a nerve: The show has 340,000 Twitter followers and 2.4 million likes on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Gomez, who has talked openly about her own mental-health struggles, said she was braced for a backlash: \u201cIt’s going to come no matter what. It’s not an easy subject to talk about. But I’m very fortunate with how it’s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yorkey said creators wanted to tell a young adult story in \u201ca more honest way that it has ever been told on television.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand it’s hard to watch,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was supposed to be hard to watch because these things are incredibly hard to endure and we wanted to say, ‘These things are happening in kids’ lives. You can keep quiet about them. You can keep kids from watching shows about them. It’s not going to stop them from happening in kids’ lives and you should be talking about that.\u201d’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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