|
 Mental health professionals have raised alarms that the series -
which closes with a graphic depiction of the main character killing
herself - could push other young people toward suicide. The second
season of the show will air on May 18, while the first season
remains available on Netflix.
In an article titled, "13 Things Pediatricians Should Know (and do)
About 13 Reasons Why," Dr. Michael B. Pitt and colleagues of the
University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis
encourage doctors to warn vulnerable young patients - and their
parents - away from the show.
"The first thing that we have been surprised by is how few of our
colleagues even know about this show," Pitt told Reuters Health by
email. While "13 Reasons" raised a pop culture buzz amid concerns
the show might trigger a wave of suicides, he added, "there hasn't
been much digging deep into what the science was."
Best practices established by the World Health Organization, the
International Association for Suicide Prevention, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention and others address how the media can
portray suicide in ways that do not trigger "copycat" deaths among
vulnerable individuals.
The CDC guidelines, published in 1994, state that simplistic
explanations for suicide, reports that serve as a "how to" for
suicide, and coverage that glorifies the person who died by suicide,
among other factors, can promote suicide contagion.
"One of the best practices is not to portray suicide, period," Pitt
said. "What struck me watching this now as a parent is the nature of
the kind of hero worship that happens. It essentially makes her the
most popular kid in school after she's killed herself."
In reviewing records at their own health system, the authors
identified more than 60 documented references to the show by 31
pediatric patients treated in the six months after "13 Reasons"
first aired. Three-quarters of the patients were receiving treatment
related to a suicide attempt, and more than half of the children's
parents said they feared the show had made their child's mental
health symptoms worse.
The authors urge pediatricians to follow the American Academy of
Pediatrics' new guidelines calling for universal depression
screening for patients aged 12 and older, and to ask their patients
about their media consumption.
"Physicians need to not only be aware of the show and the potential
ramifications, but also really become comfortable asking their
patients about whether or not they are thinking of suicide," Dr.
Kimberly O'Brien, a research scientist at Boston Children's Hospital
Education Development Center and an instructor of psychiatry at
Harvard Medical School, told Reuters Health by phone. Dr. O'Brien's
research focuses on suicidal adolescents, but she did not take part
in the new study.
[to top of second column] |
O'Brien said she and her colleagues saw a "huge spike" in people
admitted to inpatient psychiatric care who reported identifying with
the show's main character, and wanted to kill themselves like she
did, in the few months after the show first aired in 2017. In recent
years, she noted, suicide has climbed from the third to the second
leading cause of death among teens.
"We're also seeing a spike in attempts in this age range, and it's
disproportionately affecting certain demographics like sexual- and
gender-minority youth," she said.
While watching the show may not be harmful for someone who has never
had suicidal thoughts, "for the kids who have been struggling with
suicidal thoughts for perhaps their whole lives, this could be
really detrimental for them to watch," O'Brien said.
"I think really the most problematic piece of the whole show was how
they depicted Hannah Baker's suicide. I really feel they could have
had the same positive impact without actually showing it in such
graphic detail," she added.
"I do have some hope for the second season that they will really
listen to us and make the changes that need to be made," she said.
In an email to Reuters Health, a Netflix spokesperson cited a recent
survey from Northwestern University that found the show led to
conversations about bullying, suicide and mental health between
teens and their parents.
"That said, we want viewers to be informed and make the right choice
for themselves and their families, which is echoed in the video
warning message from the cast that plays before each season," the
spokesperson said, noting that Netflix offers a range of parental
controls to restrict what kids can watch.
Netflix said it is offering other resources including a discussion
guide for families and educators, a video discussion series and a
website where viewers can find support locally
(https://13reasonswhy.info).
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
