Canadian Mental Health Association Discusses '13 Reasons Why'

13 Reasons Why continues to generate a lot of discussion for all who might be involved in watching it, and with good reason. It's believed that on the plus side, 13 Reasons Why has generated a lot of discussion about teen mental health challenges and suicide, but that perhaps there are other issues that we should be more wary of when watching the show.

"The portrayal does not follow the media guidelines as set out by the Canadian Association of Suicide Prevention (CASP) and the American Association of Suicidology," the statement from the Canadian Mental Health Association reads.

The media guidelines, according to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, read in part that the specific method of suiciding should not be portrayed, yet there is a scene in one of the episodes of 13 Reasons Why where it's made very clear how the person who suicided chose to do so. It also explains that suicide should not be oversimplified by the media, and those watching 13 Reasons Why might reach the conclusion that the girl who suicided did so in large part due to bullying.

There are also scenes throughout the series that shows a growing memorial at Hannah Baker's locker. Hannah Baker is the main character who says during the series that she blames other people for her decision to suicide, and the memorial that amasses around her locker is actually a move that is not supported by many mental health experts, as it could potentially trigger those struggling with their own mental health.

In addition, there does not appear to be many, if any, adults that are engaged in a significant way in the kids' lives. Hannah discloses a sexual assault to her guidance counselor, yet her counselor effectively dismisses her and seems to lay the blame for the event at her feet.

"Adults are portrayed almost across the board as being disengaged, uninformed and almost uncaring and, therefore, not a source of help or support around any of these issues," Katherine Cowan from the American National Association of School Psychologists said. "It sends a message 'you're in this on your own.' The adults can't help you."

That is a particularly frightening sort of message for kids who view school as one of the few safe havens in their worlds; while teens do understand that the world of entertainment and the real world do not necessarily mirror each other exactly, there is a tacit understanding that there is some reflection of life in art, and there might be concerns that there really are adults who may be that disengaged from their students. While sometimes this is true, that's not necessarily reflective of reality as a whole.

While school boards and mental health associations are speaking out about the portrayal of suicide and how various issues are dealt with by adults and kids alike - such as bullying and sexual assault - New Zealanders have gone one step further to help support students who might be triggered by the series.

In New Zealand, where the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has recorded the highest youth suicide rates, kids aren't allowed to watch 13 Reasons Whywithout a parent present. It's believed that the show is quite nuanced but the issues it raises are either unanswered or fully addressed, and very often, these are only questions that can be answered by a parent.

The Sexual Abuse Prevention Network also spoke out against the show because of the possible interpretations that rape can be a "good enough" reason to suicide.

"This sends the wrong message to survivors of sexual violence about their futures, and their worth,” the network said in a statement.

Victor Schwartz, chief medical officer of the JED Foundation, noted that there was also the very real possibility of suicide contagion that could result from watching the very vivid scene in which Hannah Baker suicides.

"The show explicitly shows the suicide and, in a sense, is a kind of primer for showing a young person how they could kill themselves," he said, adding that the JED Foundation expressed concerns about the way in which suicide was depicted in the show long before the show even aired.

To also engender further discussions about suicide, 13 Reasons Why created talking points on a companion website and a 30 minute episode, Beyond The Reasons, to be aired after the final episode.