News Review
ation for Suicide Prevention insists there is a collective need for wider implementation of media guidelines and for more intensive reinforcement by media monitoring agencies, simply due to the scale of the issue.
The suicide rate in Australia for young people aged between 15-19 was around 15 per 100,000 in 2016, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. 3
But studies also suggest that between 24 % and 49 % of teenagers have thoughts of suicide at some time. 4 The issue touches everyone in one way or another.
Raising awareness The makers of 13 Reasons Why have defended themselves by arguing that the show has helped raise awareness of the issue.
Executive producer Brian Yorkey, in a Netflix special about the series’ approach to the social issues it raises, said:“ We worked very hard not to be gratuitous, but we did want it to be painful to watch because we wanted it to be very clear that there is nothing, in any way, worthwhile about suicide.”
US pop star and actor Selena Gomez, another executive producer, originally promoted the release of the show via her Instagram account, the most popular in the world with 127 million followers.
When the criticism from health campaigners came, she too offered a familiar line:“ I think that stuff is uncomfortable for people to talk about, but it is happening and hopefully it opened the door for people to actually accept what’ s happening and go and change it and talk about it,” she said.
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Such sentiments have failed to placate many mental health experts. Sydney child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald as saying that Selena Gomez had“ blood on her hands” for her role in a show with such harming effects.
In response to the criticism, Netflix has strengthened advisory warnings for the series and has also set up an accompanying website for teens in need of help called 13reasonsswhy. info. But will it be enough and what do teenagers themselves think about the show and its message?
A 16-year-old’ s perspective My 16-year-old cousin and her friend are sitting at our family dinner table, and I ask them about the show and what their own friends think.
“ Some think it’ s good because it shows that everyone has a different perspective and that you never know how your actions can affect someone else. It also shows that there isn’ t just one reason why someone would commit suicide,” my cousin says.
“ Even if one person thinks what they have done is small it can cause a ripple effect. But some of my friends think the opposite and that it makes suicide seem less serious.
“ I think the show may normalise the message of suicide, but may also send the message to an age group or generation that needs to hear about it because this is a way of making teens see what bullying can lead to and that being a bystander can be just as bad as being a bully.” ●
Additional reporting by Paul Smith References on request.
If this news story has raised issues for you, or you’ re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. You can also contact your local Doctors’ Health Advisory Service.
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K www. australiandoctor. com. au 27 October 2017 | Australian Doctor | 13