'13 Reasons Why' Increases Risk for Suicidal Teens, Study Finds

Netflix's original series 13 Reason's Why premiered in 2017 to equal parts applause and outrage. The show follows the aftermath of 17-year-old Hannah Baker's suicide and the thirteen cassette tapes she recorded and left behind that point fingers at the individuals who contributed to her death. 

The premise is dramatic and sensationalized, but it left many viewers concerned. Was the show insensitive and glamorizing the reality of teen suicide? With the show's young core audience, many were understandably worried it could impact vulnerable viewers negatively.

"This show has been a real phenomenon, especially among teenagers,” said Victor Hong, M.D., Director of Psychiatric Emergency Services at Michigan Medicine and the study's lead author. “Its depiction of teen suicide has raised great concern among parents, health providers, and educators.”

Well Hannah Baker, this is your tape study. 

Published in Psychiatric Services, the Official Journal of the American Psychiatric Association, Michigan Medicine Researchers conducted a study on 87 teens deemed high-risk. The teens were patients of a psychiatric emergency department and had been admitted with suicide-related concerns in the year after the series’ premiere.

When initially asked about 13 Reasons Why, 43 of the 87 studied had seen the show. Nearly half of who tuned into the series said it heightened their own suicide risk.

The study found that teens who strongly identified with the lead character, Hannah Baker, were more likely to believe the show increased their suicide risk. Over the course of the first season, we see flashbacks of Baker enduring bullying, sexual assault, and anxiety. Hong says Baker is "easy to identify with."

"Few believe this type of media exposure will take kids who are not depressed and make them suicidal. The concern is about how this may negatively impact youth who are already teetering on the edge.”

Addressing the initial outrage, Netflix added trigger warnings before the second season debuted earlier this year advising struggling viewers to watch the show with a trusted adult, or not at all, and urged them to reach out to a parent, school counselor, or find help on their website, 13reasonswhy.info.

The group of teens studied did not reach out to adults or ask for help; instead 84% watched the show alone, 81% chose to discuss it with their peers, and only 35% talked about it with a parent. Michigan Health Lab noted that "the findings clash with a previous Netflix-commissioned report that found 71 percent of youths in a U.S. community sample talked to a parent about the series."

“The data from our sample of teens demonstrated that kids who were at high risk of suicide did not reach out to adults,” pointed out Hong. “They mostly watched the show alone or talked to friends, but they weren’t talking to parents, teachers or school counselors.

“Youths who are in greatest need of adult support may be less likely to seek it out.”

Further research is needed to fully understand how media can influence mental health and suicide risks when it comes to vulnerable youths, the study says, but the "particular vulnerability to the show’s themes among youths at risk of suicide" makes it plain that sensitivity and care are more necessary than ever when it comes to the production and marketing of shows like 13 Reasons Why.

If you are a trans or gender-nonconforming person considering suicide, Trans Lifeline can be reached at (877) 565-8860. LGBTQ youth (ages 24 and younger) can reach the Trevor Project Lifeline at (866) 488-7386. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 can also be reached 24 hours a day by people of all ages and identities.