Studies have shown that both literature and film can have effects or leave impressions upon its audiences. Sometimes these are positive and can be used by a member of the audience to better understand a topic, or they can be negative and detrimental to ones understanding of the topic in question and can even have a negative impact on how one behaves or acts due to this presentation and representation of the topic. This is evident when looking at the first season of Netflix’s hit series 13 Reasons Why produced by Joseph Incaprera which was based on the novel written by Jay Asher in 2007. Studies such as those seen in the academic journal ‘A Different Perspective but Consistent Results: Another Look at “13 Reasons Why”’ have shown that after the initial release of the TV series there was a large increase in statistics regarding severe depression, depressive tendencies and suicide in adolescents who had in a number of the cases been influenced by the television series. However, there have been essays that explain that the impact that the television series could have on its audience could also be positive. The major argument in this regard is that the series is exposing people to these difficult topics and is making people more familiar and providing its audience with a better understanding in these areas. This essay will being examining the first season of the hit show 13 Reasons Why by looking at what are the messages presented about mental health and how it is represented, then look at what positive impacts the show could have on its audience and concluding with the negative impacts it could have in an attempt to look at whether the show is beneficial or harmful to the audience’s understanding of mental health and suicide.
13 Reasons Why was originally a novel written in 2007 by Jay Asher, it was later adapted for TV by Brian Yorkey and produced by Joseph Incaprera. The first season is made up of thirteen episodes which are represented by videotapes that the main protagonist Hannah Baker has recorded her story on which explain why she has taken her own life. Each of the thirteen tapes is directed to another character in the show who talk about how they think they contributed to her choice in taking her own life. This provides both the characters in the show and the audience with insights into why Hannah had made the tragic decision to commit suicide. The setting of the story is at a typical US high school and demonstrates the rivalries, social cliques and bullying that is often presented in other films or text with the same setting. At the audience is quickly made aware of Hannah’s recent death. The audience follows Clay Jensen, an old friend of Hannah, as in each episode he listens to one of the tapes that were given to him and slowly learns about the people whom Hannah held responsible for her choice in taking her life. In his paper ‘Narrative Matters: Suicide- Thirteen Reasons Why’ Gordon David Lyle Bates explains that the structure of this series is a modern variation of literature’s epistolary form[1]. His reasoning for this claim is that in classic Gothic narratives, a ghost is not able to leave the terrestrial plane until their story is told and the wrong is righted. Constantly throughout the show, Hannah appears to Clay, as a figment of his imagination, and they will discuss the new information that Clay has received from listening to the tapes[2]. Bates also explains that because the show is presented in this style both through the tapes and the fact that Hannah is still present in Clay’s mind, the audience can see some of the traumas that cause young people to take their own lives. These include social status, reputation, guilt, public shaming, bullying etc. Bates explains that suicide comes from a powerful emotional state which influences behaviour that many specialists from multiple different disciplines desperately try to understand[3]. Beats continues by explaining that there is often no simple reason behind suicide, but there are alternative ways of looking at the topic to gain some understanding and that is through the representation of media and in arts. “Sometimes, the clearest markers of a society’s views and beliefs can be found in the contemporary artistic depictions of the action in plays, fictions, paintings and more recently films”[4]. At its essence Bates is arguing that some of the reasons for suicide can be found in the values of a certain era. For example, in Shakespeare’s plays, there were multiple instances where a character took their own life, out of a loss of love, as a preference to dishonour, self-destructive guilt, etc[5]. Similarly, throughout 13 Reasons Why, the audience was presented with thirteen reasons why the main character took her own life. Bates concludes his paper by saying it is this representation on the topic of mental health and suicide that has left all viewers divided on whether the shows impact on its audience is positive or negative. The positive aspect, which Bates seems to share with others, is that the show brings light to many of the issues that can lead to someone taking their own life especially in the case of teenagers and the issues they experience. This ultimately provides some insight into the causations of some suicide cases. The negative aspect is that the show is aimed at a younger and easily influential audience and may potentially increase the numbers of suicides in adolescents. It is these arguments for the positive impacts of the series against the detrimental effects that it could pose to its audience that are examined in the remainder of this paper.
Similarly, to Bates Emily Krebs also believes that Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why is beneficial to its audience. In her article 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for public understandings of suicide, Krebs explains that in the last 20 years suicide rates have increased in the United States, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, all states with the exception of one have had increases and 12 of them have had an increase in suicide rates between 38 to 38 per cent. Krebs explains this has led to a lot of researchers blaming the “Werther effect”[6]. The Werther effect refers to the impact that both mass media representations and news reports have on their audiences. This led to 13 Reasons Why being placed into the spotlight with the argument being that it was increasing rate of suicide through the Werther effect. Krebs explains that the first season was met with heated backlash, many claiming that it would cause viewers dangerous psychological distress. This was then supported through highly regarded medical entities such as the Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. Stanford warned potential viewers that they should not watch the film because it violated American Foundations for Suicides Prevention’s guidelines in regard to safe media[7]. Similarly, individual critics claimed that it romanticised suicide and that it was shockingly graphic. Despite these warnings and criticisms, Krebs states that researches at North-western Centre on Media and Human Development found other evidence that proved these statements wrong. They surveyed 5,400 adolescents and found that many of them showed a positive response and that the show helped them understand the severity and consequences of suicide. This survey shows the effectiveness of the show going against the commonly used Papageno effect in which a piece of media will represent suicide through different means instead of using or showing the act. Krebs continues by stating that many of the young viewers agreed that the show allows for the opportunity for important conversations to be had regarding, suicide, bullying and mental health[8]. Krebs explains that 13 Reasons Why conceptualizes suicide and offers a lens for its audience to experience and understand the effects, the impacts and some of the causations for suicide can be. She also states that the series is another effective way for its audience members to learn what their role can be in suicide prevention and the suicidality of others[9]. This supports and helps credit the argument that Bates was providing in his essay. Bates shared in Krebs theory that the show is a lens to provide insight into the causation and what can be done to prevent such an act. He explains that why the characters that the tapes were written about were at fault that “surely the ‘guilt’ lies with the culture that is responsible for such societal pressures to conform, such narrow confines for success and discourages genuine emotional communication”[10]. Bates’s argument is the increased rates in suicide is due to the current culture and values that are held within society today rather than media, like 13 Reasons Why, and its depiction of suicide and mental health influencing audience members. Krebs explains that during her research on the show she found that it engages audience members to better understand suicide, she explains that a much of the outrage over the show’s depiction of the topic that came from the audience members stems from the belief that “suicide is something that just happens; no is to blame”[11]. Krebs continues by stating that social circumstances like bullying and sexual harassment/assault can be driving factors behind one’s choice to take their own life and that all of the characters in 13 Reasons Why are aware of this. She continuous by saying the show is important because it shows the audience that suicide isn’t an isolated event, that it is embedded in a social context and can occur because of external factors[12]. Krebs was able to successfully argue that the impact that 13 Reasons Why had on its audience was a positive one through studies that were performed and through her research. She came to the conclusion that the show should be used to educate its audience about why suicide can happen, that external factors can cause it, that it is useful to see the effect it can have and to teach people what their role is in suicide prevention. She also supplied evidence that adolescents felt that the show was helpful for them to bring up sensitive topics that can contribute to one’s decision to take their own life. Her argument supports Bates who states that the show should be used as a lens to examine why suicide occurs and to show that today’s culture is a big part of why suicide rates are going up rather than from shows like 13 Reasons Why through the Werther effect.
Despite the arguments for the positive outcomes seemingly haven successfully dismissed the argument for the negative consequences 13 Reasons Why could bring upon its audience, there have also been a number of papers and studies that this paper will cover within this section. MT Cooper, D Bard and R Wallace, led by Cooper wrote a journal of Adolescent Health called Why We Should Worry About “13 Reasons Why”. The scholars refer too ‘copycat’ suicides which are suicides that are triggered by the suicide of a peer, celebrity, or fictional character, as well as another closely related concept of ‘suicide contagion’ which is the idea that one inciting suicide triggers others into taking their own life[13]. They continue to explain that the show is believed to be aimed at a largely unsupervised and unrestricted adolescent audience some of which may not be able to process the complexity of what the series is presenting them and some that may be vulnerable and could interpret the storyline and could interpret the message as glamorising suicide. They continue to explain that a study carried out by JW Ayers shows that there was an increase in suicide-related internet searches after the release of the show. Cooper states that the show is well-intentioned but is aimed at teenagers who are potentially vulnerable to act on thoughts of suicide which the show presents them[14]. Studies carried out by a large group were reported in another Journal of Adolescent Health under the title of Reports of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients on the Impact of the TV Series “13 Reasons Why”: A Qualitative Study. In this paper, they agreed with what Cooper, Bard and Wallace had concluded within their paper and show the results of their study that support this. The study involved three females ages 15, 17 and 19 who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. All three participants had seen the show and when asked about how they felt when they watched it they stated that Hannah reminded them of a friend who had taken their own life and that the graphic image of Hannah’s suicide still haunted them and gave then nightmares. All three participants state they identified with Hannah and this feeling only intensified the negative impact the show had on them. They felt that Hannah was just like them and when she took her own life at the end of the first season the participants experiences thoughts that they should also take their own lives[15]. The three girls also admitted that they became addicted to the series and could not stop watching it, they also highlighted that the warnings that were issued by Netflix regarding the explicit content that was contained in the final episode would not be enough to stop viewers from watching the episode due to its addicting nature, they said that it had the opposite effect and only made them want to watch it more[16]. This experiment also found that the participants considered the series a manual on suicide and that the show provided them with new information on suicide matters. The three girls all agreed that it is important for there to be a TV show that talks about the topic of suicide but they felt that it was portrayed poorly in 13 Reasons Why because it may make viewers more hesitant to help people in a suicidal crisis because of the way suicidality was portrayed in the series (pp414). Despite the arguments and studies provided by Krebs and Bates arguing for the positive impacts the show can have on its audience, and providing counter-arguments against most of the negative impacts, the facts state in these two journals which is supported by the studies that were carried out show that while some of the arguments from Krebs and Bates may be true, it doesn’t account for the viewers that are most vulnerable and susceptible to the influences of this series as is seen by the result found from the three female participants.
It is we known that media can influence an individual’s behaviours and can shift one’s views of what is socially acceptable as well as affect a populations health behaviour[17]. The hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why is no exception to this and due to its representation of suicide, it has led to many debates about whether these impacts and influences are positive or negative. In this essay, one was able to examine the arguments made by Krebs and Bates on the positive impact the show has had on its audience. They stated that it is a way to educate its audience about suicide and what their role in preventing it is. It also demonstrates that suicide isn’t just something that happens that there are often external factors and many of those are a reflection today’s social standards and cultural values. They are able to successfully disprove many of the arguments made by audience members and critics regarding the negative impacts. Despite this Cooper, Bard, Wallace, Townsend, Wallace, Gillaspy, Deleon and Stephanie were able to provide arguments stating that while the show was made with good intentions and to serve the purpose stated by Kerbs and Bates it has a negative impact on the more venerable audience members. The show gives them romanticized ideas of suicide and is very relatable to those more vulnerable to its influence. This paper demonstrates that 13 Reasons Why has some positive impacts and influences on its audiences but has a much more server negative impact on those who are vulnerable to its message about suicide and its presentation within the show.
[1] Bates, GDL n.d., ‘Narrative Matters: Suicide – Thirteen Reasons Why’, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 193
[2] Ibid, pp. 193
[3] Bates, GDL n.d., ‘Narrative Matters: Suicide – Thirteen Reasons Why’, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 192-193
[4] Ibid, pp. 192
[5] Ibid, pp. 192
[6] Krebs, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for public understandings of suicide. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 37(2), pp.188
[7] Krebs, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for public understandings of suicide. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 37(2), pp.189
[8] Ibid, pp. 189
[9] Ibid, pp. 189
[10] Bates, GDL n.d., ‘Narrative Matters: Suicide – Thirteen Reasons Why’, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 193
[11] Krebs, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for public understandings of suicide. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 37(2), pp.193
[12] Ibid, pp. 193
[13] Cooper Jr, M.T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S. and Deleon, S., 2018. Suicide attempt admissions from a single children’s hospital before and after the introduction of Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(6), pp.663
[14] Ibid, pp. 663
[15] Cooper, M.T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S. and Deleon, S., 2019. Reports of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients on the Impact of the TV Series “13 Reasons Why”: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(3), pp.414
[16] Cooper, M.T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S. and Deleon, S., 2019. Reports of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients on the Impact of the TV Series “13 Reasons Why”: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(3), pp.414
[17] Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Lauricella, A.R. and Wartella, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why, Perceived Norms, and Reports of Mental Health-Related Behavior Change among Adolescent and Young Adult Viewers in Four Global Regions. Communication Research, p.2
References
13 Reasons Why, (2017), Netflix, 31st March
13 Reasons Why: Plot summary and content warnings. (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://mhfa.com.au/sites/default/files/13-reasons-why-plot-summary.pdf.
Arendt, F., Scherr, S., Till, B., Prinzellner, Y., Hines, K. and Niederkrotenthaler, T., 2017. Suicide on TV: minimising the risk to vulnerable viewers.
Bates, GDL n.d., ‘Narrative Matters: Suicide – Thirteen Reasons Why’, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 192–193
Bridge, J.A., Greenhouse, J.B., Ruch, D., Stevens, J., Ackerman, J., Sheftall, A.H., Horowitz, L.M., Kelleher, K.J. and Campo, J.V., 2020. Association between the release of netflix’s 13 Reasons Why and suicide rates in the United States: An interrupted time series analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(2), pp.236-243.
Carter, M.C., Cingel, D.P., Lauricella, A.R. and Wartella, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why, Perceived Norms, and Reports of Mental Health-Related Behavior Change among Adolescent and Young Adult Viewers in Four Global Regions. Communication Research, p.2
Cooper Jr, M.T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S. and Deleon, S., 2018. Suicide attempt admissions from a single children’s hospital before and after the introduction of Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(6), pp.663-664
Cooper, M.T., Bard, D., Wallace, R., Gillaspy, S. and Deleon, S., 2019. Reports of Adolescent Psychiatric Outpatients on the Impact of the TV Series “13 Reasons Why”: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(3), pp.414-415.
Knopf, A., 2019. NIH study finds 13 Reasons Why associated with increase in youth suicide rates. The Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter, 35(7), pp.1-2.
Krebs, E., 2020. 13 Reasons Why as a vehicle for public understandings of suicide. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 37(2), pp.188-200.
Nesi, J., Johnson, S.E., Altemus, M., Thibeau, H.M., Hunt, J. and Wolff, J.C., 2020. 13 Reasons Why: perceptions and correlates of media influence in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Archives of suicide research, pp.1-12.
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