A new US study has found the suicide rate for people aged between 10-17 rose 28.9 per cent in the month following the release of the first season of Netflix series ‘13 Reasons Why’.
The study, which was conducted by the US National Institute of Mental Health, associated the result with the show after accounting for ongoing trends in suicide rates.
It found that the number of deaths by suicide recorded in April 2017 was greater than the number seen in any single month during the five-year period examined by the researchers.
When broken down by sex, researchers found the increase was primarily driven by males.
“Young people are particularly vulnerable to the media”
The first season of ‘13 Reasons Why’ followed a teenage girl who dies by suicide and the 13 cassette tapes she left to her friends and family after her death.
Upon its release, the Netflix series was widely criticised for romanticising suicide.
Study author Dr Lisa Horowitz hope’s the findings will bring attention to how suicide is portrayed in the media.
“Young people are particularly vulnerable to the media. All disciplines, including the media, need to take good care to be constructive and thoughtful about topics that intersect with public health crises,” Horowitz said.
In response to the backlash, Netflix released a PSA featuring members of the cast warning about the explicit content and ran it before the season two premier.
The outrage also prompted Australian mental health organisation headspace to partner with Netflix to release accompanying support information with season two.
“The resources are not necessarily an endorsement of the show,” headspace clinical advisor Nick Duigan told The Feed last year.
“The reality is that the show is going ahead, therefore, headspace saw it as a responsibility to develop resources that support young people to have constructive conversations,”
In response to today’s study, headspace executive director clinical practice, Vikki Ryall commented, “The National Institutes of Health research is evidence of the very real impact and risk that exposure to harmful suicide depictions can create,
“While we cannot stop anyone from watching ‘13 Reasons Why’, we can strongly recommend that people have access to helpful and safe information, and encourage parents to consider the risks of exposure to specific details related to suicide.”
Netflix ordered a third season of ‘13 Reasons Why’ in June 2018, to be aired at some point this year.
If you or someone you know would like to talk to someone about your mental health, here are some people ready for your call:
• beyondblue support service line 1300 22 46 36
