Suicide Prevention and 13 Reasons Why

My thoughts regarding the Netflix edits around the season one suicide scene

Trigger Warning: Depression, Mental Illness, Suicide, Self-Harm

  

Note: I will be discussing very heavy themes such as suicide, self-harm, and mental illness. Please always remember to take care of yourself and know that your mental well-being is more important than any article or written piece

I was honored to write a guest post for the prominent news site HuffPost, where I shared my thoughts regarding the first season of the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why". Here is the post, I highly recommend reading it prior to this updated thoughts post.

I did not watch any farther than season one. While I had originally enjoyed the series, the more time I spent reflecting on it the more problematic it became. Not only because a lot of the topics covered in the show were triggering for me personally, but because the manner in which they were tackled was problematic to say the least.

Ahead of the season three release, Netflix opted to remove a controversial and graphic scene from the first season, depicting the main character's suicide act. This was seen by many, myself included, as too little, too late. The weeks and months following the Netflix release led to an increase in the teen suicide rate, as well as an uptick in searches with keywords relating to suicide. While it is important to note that correlation is not causation (i.e. just because these tragedies corresponded with the release does not fault Netflix for this) and there are likely many other variables leading to this result. However, the correlation cannot and should not be ignored.

Here is my honest, straightforward, personal opinion on the series, as a psychology major, a mental health advocate, and a suicide survivor:

Stop. Don't watch it. Don't let your kids watch it. There are better shows and better movies to spend your time on. The series as a whole is depressing, tragic, horrifying, and glamorizes mental illness and suicide.

No Going Back

Every so often I will feel the itch

The regression, reminder of time

gone by. I will remember what

it was like in the dark days, before

I knew what it meant to see light.

My fingers crawl to the phone, wishing

I could text my mother, call my father.

Hear the love and care in their voice,

when they tell me I am doing good.

I do the little things to reach accomplishment;

arrive early to my flight, despite 

having ADHD. I make friends with flight

attendants, despite my social anxiety.

I live every day because I am here,

and part of me wonders if I'm supposed to be.

Rebecca died a long time ago. I killed 

that part of myself, so I could move on,

move forward, be reborn. A better version

of the me that used to be.

See, that's what no one tells you, when

you feel as though you're out of options.

You don't have to kill yourself to be reborn.

You just have to know you are worthy 

to keep moving forward.

I haven't written poetry, not in a long

time. I miss the way my fingers curve out 

beautiful symbols and meaningless tales.

I wonder if the poetic part is still

here, trapped somewhere beneath 

my pressed down darkness. 

We keep a part of ourselves, so we can learn. 

We remember so we may move forward, one foot

in front of the other, knowing we are making

a change, and knowing there is 

no going back. No going back to the 

dark places. My demons have shriveled up,

curled back into a cave, a faraway place

that has no place in my soul. Today,

the light outshines the darkness.

I made it this far.

I will make it farther. 

There is no going back.

Rivi D

July 2, 2019