A new study discovered that there's an increase 19 percent Online Search related to suicide three weeks after "13 Reasons Why", the original Netflix series premiered. It only means there are 900,000 to 1.5 million more searches related to suicide after people have seen the show.
John W. Ayers, Ph.D., from the San Diego State University's Graduate School of Public Health published the study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. However, according to Ayers, there is no definitive evidence that the online searches translate to actual suicide incidences.
Suicide Trends and 13 Reason Why
Although no concrete proof watching the series lead to more suicide cases, the trends like the increased online search for the word may actually be directly related to the number of actual deaths. Ayers also said that media coverages of suicide attempts and the searches for methods to take lives indeed increased after the series was published online.
The TV show "13 Reasons Why" is based on Jay Asher's book. In the book, the main character is a high school student named Hannah Baker who lived a difficult life and died of suicide. She left behind audio recordings explaining her struggle that eventually led to her demise. Part of her demands is forcing the people she deemed responsible for her death to listen to her audio recordings.
Reaction to the TV show
Since the premiere, the TV show received a significant number of viewers, although experts say that the response to the show's premise is mixed. According to Forbes, many people acknowledged the importance of recognizing the existing problems teens have to face in real life including depression, sexual assault, bullying, cyberbullying and suicide.
Because of this, many organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics published some talking points and guides linked to the show. These are designed to help parents to talk to their teens about the show and the actual life problems they may be facing.
Adverse effect of the show
Despite that, many people including mental health professionals and people working for suicide prevention organization also find it alarming.
Some pointed out that the show violates the safety guidelines on how suicide is portrayed on TV. They raised issued like glamorizing it and showing gory details about how it was committed.
Some even argue that the widely popularized TV show can make it more contagious and that it can allegedly directly influence the behavior of the youth. Based on data presented by Forbes, suicide is the second main cause of death for teens from the 15-19 age demographic. The rate is also increasing in trend based on a CDC statistics that says the 2014 rate is 24 percent higher compared the deaths in 1999.
Because of this, experts like Dr. Anna Parnes of the Children's Health Council advise parents to guide their teens when watching the show. Netflix, for their part, acknowledged the concerns of the viewers and experts. They released a special with the cast, producers and mental health experts discussing the issues presented in the show.
