[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he second season of the show 13 Reasons Why begins airing on Netflix Friday, May 18th, and concerns about the shows advisory warnings are arising again. Sophomores Bella Herndon and Priscilla Chiu committed suicide in April 2017 only days after finishing the first season of the show. Family members are placing blame on the show for having an influence on their kids committing suicide. Peter Chiu, Priscilla Chiu’s uncle, explains to KTVU-TV his opinion on 13 Reasons Why: “I feel as if the show gives only one alternative for cyberbullying and other teenage issues.” Other critics argue the same thing. Studies have been made on both sides of the argument, but can a clear conclusion be made? [perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The content is complicated, it’s dark and it has moments that are honestly really hard to swallow.” Selena Gomez [/perfectpullquote]Parents are debating whether or not the hit show 13 Reasons Why is appropriate for teenage audiences. The show depicts the suicide of a 17 year-old-girl, Hannah Baker, who leaves seven cassette tapes explaining to each of the thirteen people the reasons why she decided to commit suicide. The tapes are delivered to each person that had something to do with why she decided to take her own life and explains to each of them what part they played in all of it.

Netflix states, “Many of [their] members find the show to be a valuable driver for starting important conversation with their families, [they] have also heard concern from those who feel the series should carry additional advisories.” People are trying to figure out how or if the show has caused a spark in teen suicide and attempted suicide. Studies show in some cases, what teens watch or read can have a large impact, or no correlation at all, in their decision to commit suicide.

The Facts

Studies have been done in similar cases with books and other related suicides and have come up with two effects that people’s minds may experience:

1. “The Werther Effect” was created by David Phillips after a study was done because of boys committing suicide similar to a character in a book called Sorrows of Young Werther. The character, Werther, takes his life after his love, marries his best friend. In the book, it explains Werther did not have a strong mental state. This means there is a possibility the marriage was not the only cause of his death and may have only been a stressor. 
2. Another effect called, “The Papageno Effect” is the opposite of “The Werther Effect.” A character named Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute makes the decision to commit suicide, however, he is persuaded not to by three young boys. This effect is shown to be the exact opposite by convincing people

“The Werther Effect” can be shown the same way in teens that a book can be a stressor in cases of teens who don’t have strong mental states. The timing of the release of the first season, and deaths of the students do indeed have a correlation, but they may only be stressors. These two effects have been documented to occur in cases when it comes to books. However, the debate is over the Netflix show, not the book. A study done in Europe, on a TV show, may contradict this evidence.

The particular study done by Stephen Platt, a research sociologist, attempted to collect data on how a TV show airing could influence suicide. The show, Eastenders, released an episode on February 27, 1986, containing an attempted suicide of a 30-year-old woman. The research shows the number of people who were admitted to the hospital for attempted suicide was not insignificantly different before the show was aired and after it was aired. There were cases of similarities, but there was not enough parallel information to come up with a clear conclusion how the show affects suicide. The “Werther Effect” may show a clear influence on how books affect teen suicide, but the TV show did not have the same results.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] There is no way to be clear whether or not TV shows can convince someone to commit suicide, but some people can be more affected than others.   [/perfectpullquote]

The Real Goal

Netflix has now put a stronger advisory warning on the show as of May 2017, but people should still be aware of the effect it could have on some audiences. Selena Gomez, the producer of the show, says her goal for the show was to help teens gain more understanding of suicide and its effects on people. She tells Elvis Duran in an interview, “The content is complicated, it’s dark and it has moments that are honestly really hard to swallow. I understood that we were going into something that is difficult […]. I feel like if this is what we are going to talk about, we might as well do it in a way that’s going to be honest, it’s going to be real, and it stays true to the book.”

There is no way to prove whether or not 13 Reasons Why can convince someone to commit suicide, but some people can be more affected by the show than others.

There are 4,400 teen deaths by suicide that occur each year (CDC) and Valley Behavioral Health System says there is an estimated amount of 11 attempts of suicide for every actual death. Kid’s Health says, on average, girls think about and attempt suicide two times more as often as boys while boys die by suicide four times as often.

“We don’t know what was in her mind or her heart. There’s no way to know why she did what she did.” The school counselor Mr. Porter says this to Clay Jensen in 13 Reasons Why and he is exactly right. Teens having suicidal thoughts will not come out and tell someone why they are feeling what they are.

How Can We Prevent Suicide?

There are two different types of suicide; passive, a wish to die with no specific plan to do it, and active, a wish to die with a plan. There are also signs when someone is possibly contemplating suicide, but some are less noticeable than others. Here are some possible signs to look for from the Valley Behavioral Health System:

• Change in sleep or eating patterns
  

  Image by: Pixabay

• Giving away possessions
• Saying goodbye to loved ones
• Less or no engagement in activities that are loved

If any of the above activities are noticed, contact someone right away, such as a school or family counselor. It is proven that bullying can indeed be a factor for suicide, so watch not only what you say but how you say it. You never know what will be the last words you say to someone.

“Why didn’t you say this to me when I was alive?” -Hannah Baker

Featured Image by: The Declaration at Colonial High/ Under Creative Commons license.