On 31st of March Netflix premiered their latest new series ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’. Originally a novel released in 2007, ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ addressed the issue of suicide.
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2015 6188 people in the UK committed suicide.
The release of the programme has proved controversial. Many schools are now warning parents about the trending series, concerned it could be sending the wrong message to unsupervised younger viewers. Although rated an 18, ‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ has proved instantly popular amongst teenagers. The show explores issues of sexual assault and bullying as well as suicide. Some of these themes are shown quite graphically, especially in the last episode where it depicts a principal character taking her own life. There is solid evidence to show that exposure to another person’s suicide in real life is one of the risk factors for people struggling with mental issues to contemplate or even commit suicide. Research in this area is difficult and contentious, but some experts believe that exposure even in fiction, particularly in the format of serialised TV shows where some viewers get caught up with the characters and narrative over a period of time, may also be a risk factor itself.
However, the series has also been praised for having brought a lot of attention to the issue of suicide and bullying. After the show was released, many people painted their nails blue to commemorate Hannah Baker which has further spread awareness and discussions. Many people have defended the shows approach, arguing that by daring to be realistic and true, it has been a much more powerful force and that not talking about these issues is more dangerous, with people struggling with similar problems often feeling isolated and that they can’t talk about it.
I do feel that if even only one person is helped by the storm around the series then it will have served a worthwhile purpose as more than just another momentary entertainment.
