A group of professional psychologists have taken a firm stand against "13 Reasons Why" due to its depiction of suicide. These psychologists are attempting to make a case, requesting Netflix to pull the show.
The Journal of American Medicine have conducted research that suggests that the show could be responsible for the spike of internet searches for suicide. Even though the show aims to educate its audience and raise awareness regarding the issue, some of their findings suggest otherwise.
The study has shown that since the release of "13 Reasons Why," it was found that the overall search regarding suicide shot up to 19 percent. The search phrase "how to commit suicide" went up by 26 percent and other forms of such inquiries have increased, as the studies have shown. This has become a cause for concern as some of these searches specifically pertain to methods of taking one's own life. Just after 19 days after the "13 Reasons Why" aired, the search regarding all forms of queries regarding suicide rose to a staggering 1.5 million.
CNN reports that the show has ignored the standards of the World Health Organization on suicide prevention. The journal took note of this, and even pointed out that if these standards were met, then the showrunners could have reduced the possibility of making suicide an attractive idea for its audience.
The show focuses on Hannah Baker. Before committing suicide, she leaves a series of tapes wherein she explains all the reasons that led to her decision to take her own life. The show dramatized this, which spurred one of the major concerns — which is that the show may have inadvertently glorified the tragedy of suicide.
There is another side to this argument, however. There are those who support the show, and they firmly believe that the show is raising awareness by elightening the audience on how to spot early signs and symptoms of suicide. Unfortunately, the tough subject matter of suicide is too sensitive to be taken lightly. Hopefully, the creators of the show will take note of all the necessary precautions heading into season two.
