I’ve written repeatedly about Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, and usually in a pretty damning light. Like others (who are far more informed and educated than I am), I’ve expressed my real concern that the show has unintentionally glamorized suicide, and there has been evidence to suggest that it actually led to an increase in suicides.
However, a new study shows that this may not be the case, and, in fact, that 13 Reasons Why may have done some good.
First, a review. 13 Reasons Why tells the story of Hannah Baker, a teenage girl who dies by suicide and leaves behind tapes for people to listen to, explaining why she died and their role in her demise. The show was criticized by many for glamorizing suicide and presenting it as a possible choice, and Netflix eventually removed the three-minute, highly graphic scene in which Hannah dies.
Of course, that removal came after being viewed millions of times, and at least one report directly tied the show to a rise in suicides.
However, a new study came to the opposite conclusion:
But a recent reanalysis of the data by Dan Romer, research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, found no evidence of an increase in suicides for boys, and (like the original study) an insignificant increase for girls. Romer adjusted the data to factor in trends like an overall increase in adolescent suicides since 2007.
That’s important. But it’s not as important as this finding:
But when Romer conducted a study on 13 Reasons Why’s effects on self-harm, published last April, he found that teens who watched the entire second season of the show were less likely to purposely injure themselves or seriously consider suicide, even when compared with those who did not watch the show. He said that this could be because of the Papageno effect, which occurs when stories that portray people overcoming their suicidal crisis end up reducing suicide rates. The effect is named for a character in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute who considered suicide until his friends showed him a different way to solve his problems.
The second season of 13 Reasons Why features a character who is depressed and considers suicide – but survives. This is important, and it feeds in with a larger theme in the mental health universe: We have to share stories of hope, of survival, and of seeking help successfully.
Part of the reason that so many (myself included) thought 13 Reasons Why was so damning, as portrayed, is because it features a character dying by suicide in a graphic manner. This can create copycat scenarios. However, the good news is that the Papageno Effect is real and has been repeatedly backed up by science. This is great news: If you can show someone finding hope, you can inspire others to do the same.
I appreciated this alternative perspective of 13 Reasons Why, and I appreciated the hope that it could potentially inspire in others. It also reinvigorates what I have said for ages: Share your story. It’s why I’m so passionate about sharing mine.
You can save a life.
Mike Schlossberg - Author 