Teen suicides spiked following ’13 Reasons Why’ premiere, study says
When Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” premiered in 2017, some raised concerns that the show’s graphic depictions of teen suicide could spur vulnerable young people to attempt suicide themselves.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry appears to confirm those fears.
The study, published Monday, found that suicide rates among Americans ages 10 to 17 increased by 28.9 percent in the month following the show’s March 31, 2017, premiere.
According to the study, boys were more likely to kill themselves than girls.
For the study, researchers analyzed monthly rates of suicide among Americans ages 10 to 64 between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2017.
The study also found an increase of 195 teen suicides in the nine months after the premiere, according to CNBC. There were no significant changes among 18- to 29-year-olds and 30- to 64-year-olds.
In April 2017, the teen suicide rate reached a 19-year peak, Jeff Bridge, the study’s lead author and a suicide researcher at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, told the Associated Press.
“The creators of the series intentionally portrayed the suicide of the main character. It was a very graphic depiction of the suicide death,” Bridge told the AP.
“Youth may be particularly susceptible to suicide contagion, which can be fostered by stories that sensationalize or promote simplistic explanations of suicidal behavior, glorify or romanticize the decedent, present suicide as a means of accomplishing a goal, or offer potential prescriptions of how-to die by suicide,” Bridge told CNBC.
Researchers who worked on the study said they could not prove the show caused the jump in suicides, according to NPR. But they still cautioned against letting children watch the show.
“The results of this study should raise awareness that young people are particularly vulnerable to the media,” study co-author Lisa Horowitz, a staff scientist at the National Institute of Mental Health, said in a statement to NPR. “All disciplines, including the media, need to take good care to be constructive and thoughtful about topics that intersect with public health crises.”
In a statement to The New York Times, a Netflix spokesperson said the company is looking into the research, “which conflicts with last week’s study from the University of Pennsylvania.”
That study, available online April 25, found that young adults ages 18 to 29 who stopped watching the second season of “13 Reasons Why,” which debuted in May 2018, showed a greater suicide risk than those who finished the season.
“This is a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly,” the Netflix spokesperson told the Times.
Netflix has renewed “13 Reasons Why” for a third season.
Based on Jay Asher’s best-selling novel “Thirteen Reasons Why,” the Netflix series follows a high school student as he uncovers why his former classmate and crush committed suicide. The only clues come from a shoebox of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah, detailing the 13 people she blames for her death.
Asher, who lives in San Luis Obispo, did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday morning.
However, in a September 2017 interview with The Tribune, Asher said he understood why the show was generated controversy, “but the alternative is for us not to talk about this stuff, which continues the stigma.”
“If we had no book out there, no TV show, anyone who’s literally dealing with (these issues) is not going to feel like they can ask for help,” Asher said at the time.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Teen suicides spiked following ’13 Reasons Why’ premiere, study says."