# The SBHonline Community Daily > Books, Movies, and TV >  >  13 Reasons Why

## MIke R

The book has been extremely popular with teens as it takes on and addresses both teen suicide and teen sexual assault ....it's about a girl who commits suicide and before she dies makes a tape telling the thirteen reasons why she did it and the  thirteen  people who contributed to her demise ...powerfully  intense stuff here ...well written 

Netflix did an outstanding job  turning the book into a 13 episode series ......I highly recommend watching it with your teenaged kids.....one caveat is it's rated TV-MA for language and some fairly graphic sexual assault scenes so if that makes you squeamish watching it with your kids it could be an issue and maybe the book is a better route  ...we are more than ok with all  that and watching the episodes made for some very worthwhile discussions with our daughter ..

highly recommend both the book and made for TV series

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## amyb

This is such an important topic. There have recently been  2 teen suicides on Long Island and open parent/child dialogue on such a serious issue is called for and can only help caring people understand the sadness and the horror when a life is ended so suddenly.

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## cec1

Great stuff, Mike, that you & Wendi have that kind of relationship with your daughter.

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## Karen

It's so important to be open and honest with your children. Nice job!

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## MIke R

Nothing is off the table in this house ...we are very open about everything and up front about sexuality and don't treat it as  something hidden and dirty not to be discussed ....

as a former high school Asst Principal I have witnessed and had to deal with  far too many really bad choices made  based purely on not having truly accurate information ....

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## andynap

Just saw a news piece with suicide experts  that slammed the show as glamorizing suicide and offering no viable solutions to the problems. They said that some of the problems shown are well recognized and very treatable.

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## MIke R

Well that's one view....I didn't see it that way nor did Wendi or Lena ....not at all.....the show was very much about showing kids your words and actions have consequences on others .....the show  and storyline definitely  showed that the guidance  counselor blew it big time ..

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## andynap

That was not one view. A panel of experts were very upset that it did not show how treatable it is and that it let this get out of hand. I have no dog here but would go with the experts.

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## MIke R

Well....I don't  agree ..it often gets out of hand and that was the point .....and the fact that it's being shown in so many Health Ed classes speaks volumes 


one can always read the book instead of watching the show....in the book this all took place in one night....the show stretched it out throughout an entire summer and developed characters more deeply  .....vastly different storylines .....

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## andynap

Who says it's being shown in many health ed classes. I asked my 2 granddaughters and they never heard of it.

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## MIke R

Here it is....the book has been in the wellness curriculum for a year now and the show is being shown both in  my daughters  school district  and the school district I coach in....

as it should

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## MIke R

Book has been in and out of NY Times bestsellers list for young adults for the better part of two years ......I have probably sold 50 copies

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## andynap

Arts and Entertainment Analysis 

*‘13 Reasons Why’ depicts a graphic suicide. Experts say there’s a problem with that.*



By Bethonie Butler April 14 Katherine Langford as Hannah Baker in “13 Reasons Why.” (Beth Dubber/Netflix)Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” offers a well-intentioned message about being kinder to others and asking for help when you need it, but some suicide prevention experts say the series could do more harm than good.
The 13-episode drama, co-produced by actress and pop star Selena Gomez, is based on Jay Asher’s young-adult bestseller about Hannah Baker, a high school student who kills herself and leaves behind audiotapes detailing the events that led to her death. In each tape, she essentially blames her death on the actions (or inaction) of a group of classmates and a faculty member. That premise, along with a graphic scene depicting Hannah’s death, is at odds with the way experts say we should talk about suicide.
The “Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide,” a list of guidelines for media outlets developed by suicide prevention experts and journalists, emphasizes that suicide is usually the result of multiple causes, often involving mental illness, and not something that can be blamed on a person or single event. And experts advise against sensational headlines or describing a suicide in graphic detail, which studies have shown can lead to suicide contagion, or “copycat” suicides.
While “13 Reasons Why” is fiction, it presents similar concerns for advocates working to educate the public. In 2014, suicide was the second leading cause of death for children and young adults ages 10 to 24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Teenagers, a key demographic for the book and, ostensibly, the series are at particular risk when it comes to contagion.
Dan Reidenberg, executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), said he has received calls and emails from parents and school guidance counselors about the show. “There is a great amount of concern in the suicide prevention community around this series,” he said.
The show deviates from the book and unfolds over a longer period of time, but the overall conceit is the same. For Reidenberg, the fact that Hannah gets to tell her story after her death, through the audiotapes, glamorizes the death and sends a potentially dangerous message to viewers.

“Young people are not that great at separating fiction from reality,” Reidenberg said. “That gets even harder to do when you’re struggling with thoughts.”
Netflix does not make viewership numbers public, but there has been noticeable excitement around the series since its March 31 debut on the streaming service. Asher’s book, first published in 2007, has maintained a loyal following and the series has garnered added buzz thanks to Gomez, who is an executive producer along with her mother, Mandy Teefey.
Gomez has talked openly about her own mental-health struggles. The former Disney star sought treatment at a rehab facility last year for “anxiety, panic attacks and depression,” which she said were side effects of the lupus diagnosis she revealed publicly in 2015. Gomez and two of the cast members from the series recently got matching semicolon tattoos, intended to signify that life goes on after mental illness — an inspiration for the movement known as Project Semicolon.

“We wanted to do in a way where it was honest and we wanted to make something that can hopefully help people because suicide should never ever be an option,” Gomez explains in the 30-minute featurette “Beyond the Reasons,” also available on Netflix.
But, as suicide prevention advocate MollyKate Cline noted in an essay for Teen Vogue, “13 Reasons Why” fails to convey a viable alternative. Hannah never tells her parents or friends that she has suicidal thoughts. She eventually goes to her school’s guidance counselor for help, but instead of offering treatment options, he questions her in ways that make it seem like the issues she’s dealing with — including multiple instances of sexual assault — are her fault.
Reidenberg, who has seen several but not all of the episodes of the series, said the counselor’s dismissal of Hannah’s concerns sends “a horrible message.”
SAVE partnered with the Jed Foundation, a youth suicide prevention group, to compile a list of talking points to help parents discuss the series with their teenagers. The list emphasizes that Hannah’s experience with her guidance counselor isn’t “appropriate or typical.” And unlike the show, it uses the term mental illness. Well-established research suggests that 90 percent of individuals who commit suicide experience mental illness, but “13 Reasons Why” never explicitly considers whether Hannah is suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or other issues.

A representative for Netflix said in an email that four mental-health experts (some of whom appear in the featurette) consulted on the series — reviewing scripts and offering feedback to creator Brian Yorkey. A companion website links to the Jed Foundation and provides information for crisis hotlines in more than 35 countries. Several of the episodes in the series, including the one that depicts Hannah’s suicide, begin with graphic-content warnings.
Yorkey told EW.com that depicting Hannah’s suicide was a deliberate choice. “We worked very hard not to be gratuitous, but we did want it to be painful to watch because we wanted it to be very clear that there is nothing, in any way, worthwhile about suicide,” he said.
But Reidenberg said “there should be no reason, no justification whatsoever, why any kind of production — entertainment or news — would be so descriptive and so graphic.”
Reidenberg said TV shows and films can raise awareness and encourage discussion about suicide without appearing to glamorize it. He has consulted on TV projects, including an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” that debunked the long-standing myth about suicides spiking during the holidays.
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With advocates and TV writers “working together, there can be great productions and depictions that actually help the public better understand suicide,” Reidenberg added.

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## MIke R

Some good points for sure but my 40 years and still counting dealing with teenagers professionally tells me the vast majority of them are perfectly capable of separating fiction from reality so I disagree with that assertion completely 

And again....we enjoyed the series very much  and had some very worthwhile constructive discussions about suicide, sexual assault, and underage  drinking with Lena while watching it .....and I have spoken to other parents in our communty  who also reported having worthwhile discussions with the children, due to the book and/or series...

But like  any thing on TV.....if you don't like it....don't watch it

keep in mind the article says the "experts" say it "could" do more damage than good ...doesn't sound very definitive to me

she cuts her wrists in a warm bath ......an extremely common way of committing suicide ....I would not be concerned about copy cat suicides...these kids are very internet savvy...if they want to find out about suicide methods they can go online and get all the pictures and description they want in this day and age .....these kids today have a significantly higher tolerance for squeamish  video material then we do ....

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## andynap

Well you have your opinion based on a fictitious story and the experts deal in real life or death all the time. I'll take them.

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## MIke R

Knock yourself out.....and I will Keep selling copies and getting great comments from customers about the book when they re back in the store shopping .....as I have been getting for many months  ..which is what made me want to watch the series in the first place .....reality based results ....not theory

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## andynap

Hey it's a good story but that's all it is. Knock yourself out.

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## MIke R

This child psychologist liked it ....and two organizations gave tips for viewing  the series for parents  and  teachers .....



SAVE partnered with another suicide prevention group, the Jed Foundation, to provide tips for viewing "13 Reasons Why" and talking points for parents and teachers discussing suicide with young people.
Child psychologist Janet Taylor said she applauds Gomez for addressing mental health issues on the show.
"I think we don't talk enough when things aren't going well," she said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I had one patient say, 'I have to be perfect because I'm so flawed.' Where did she get that?
"We have to break the silence, talk to our parents, talk to counselors," she added. "If you have a family history of mental illness, be aware of it, talk to your children. If your child makes a threat about wanting to hurt themselves, take it seriously."

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## MIke R

> Hey it's a good story but that's all it is. Knock yourself out.



Agree....a good story which can break the ice and be an avenue for good discussions between parents and children  or teachers and students ...that's all it's  purpose and intention  ever was  right from the get go

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## MIke R

BTW I don't think the suicide was graphic at all ...the sexual assaults were more graphic

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## stbartshopper

We are with Andy on this one. Our daughter in law is a pediatric nurse at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Since Thirteen Reasons Why has aired, the attempted suicide cases in her hospital has risen from 1 or 2 per week to 8 per day. In conversation with the patients there,  apparently it is pretty consistent that these patients are viewers of Thirteen Reasons Why and that the show prompted them to attempt to take their lives. Almost all of the patients are female- young teenagers. Hospital personnel have had to take away their cell phones as it was reportedly discovered that these young ladies were trying to find ways to complete their task of dying while in the hospital. Apparently this is going on throughout the country. In a recent USA Today article claims are made that the Netflix series has created what is called "Suicide Contagion." 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...umn/101262330/

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