Photo credit:Netflix
Every now and then you get a show that manages to get people talking about key issues in society and right now the show that everyone is talking about is 13 reasons why, Netflix’s latest original series.
13 Reasons Why follows the students of an average high school in America and how they cope after student, Hannah, takes her own life with no explanation. Until one student, Clay receives a box of cassette tapes in which Hannah explains why she did it and who is responsible.
“This really is a story that happens to numerous people every day. That's probably the coolest and also the most shocking thing. It really hits home that this is a harsh reality. This is happening,” Said Katherine Langford, the actress who plays Hannah in the show, in an interview with popsugar.co.uk.
The show aims to shed a light on the topic of depression and mental health and show just how hard it can be to cope with different aspects of life especially among teenagers.
With mental health and wellbeing still being a topic the media generally try and avoid it can be refreshing to see a show that aims to talk about it without shying away from it. From the very start of the first episode there is a disclaimer which says to seek help if you are worried about your mental health which Is an indication that it’s going to be a hard-hitting show.
But trying to talk about such a sensitive topic can be challenging. One issue that has been raised in the media is whether teen dramas such as this have the ability to glamourize suicide and self-harm and make it seem like a trend rather than a serious issue.
There is also the idea that maybe the people behind the show aren’t going about it the right way and instead are making light of the topic.
Former X-Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan, who has spoken about her struggle with depression has shared her thoughts on the Netflix teen drama.
"13 reasons why is an awful, awful portrayal of mental health and suicide Gutted young people are being told that's how it is," tweeted Spraggan. "Obsession, guilt and blame are parts of many people's mental health stories, but not positive parts. Promoting it is so odd."
But that’s not to say the show doesn’t take the issue seriously, as it does throughout and handles the subject matter in a very mature way, letting you know this really happens in society and as more and more people watch the show it has the potential to get people thinking more and more about just how serious mental health is.
The show has even been labelled as an “irresponsible dramatization of teen suicide” by critics and mental health professionals alike. It is also a general opinion in the professional world that this show is going about starting a discussion on suicide and mental health in the wrong way, and is in fact sensationalizing it. The show is also supposedly going against the way in which professionals in the media should recommend talking about mental health and suicide and is very irresponsible.
According to reportingonsuicide.org there are a number of guidelines on how the media should be responsible when addressing suicide and mental health. Some of the guidelines that 13 reasons why manage to violate are; Don't sensationalize the suicide, Don’t talk about the contents of the suicide note, if there is one. Don't describe the suicide method. Don’t glamourize suicide and don’t speculate why the person had done it.
Having said that there are some people that do believe that 13 reasons why has the potential to be able to end the stigma around mental health and suicide, but that remains to be seen.