A student at a high school in Ohio shot himself in the head during his first period class. In Detroit, an grade 8 boy also shot himself at his middle school just before school.

“For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it”

So why are suicide and depression romanticized and normalized? I’ve watched 13 Reasons Why, wherein the plot revolves around the aftermath of a girl who committed suicide as a result of the actions of thirteen individuals. What the television show completely fails to portray, is the actual solution to mental health problems: getting actual help and treatment. Sure, the show was fabricated with decent intentions about raising awareness regarding the exceedingly tragic and terrible consequences of suicide; but truly fails to deliver a wholly correct overall message.

The very scene of the main character killing herself if displayed very precisely. Cuts and LOTS of blood. YES, the show highlights the relevance of increasingly pressing and important issues inclusive of sexual harassment, date rape, drugs amongst others, but the storyline is still somewhat flawed. The graphic and disgusting representation of her suicide is just saddening and evidently scarring. NO, I’m not saying suicide shouldn’t be discussed, but its portrayal should be controlled and not normalized.

People who don’t want to live need professional help. You can’t always save them with kindness.
SURE, Hannah was teased, molested and couldn’t fit in to a hierarchical society while she was alive, but her suicide let her garner attention, power and importance: which obviously is an excessively significant contributory factor in proving that the show glorifies suicide. In fact, the show concludes with Clay, the victim’s somewhat lover stating: “I cost a girl her life because I was afraid to love her.” DON’T ROMANTICIZE SUICIDE???? It can be interpreted that the victim suffers from depression and yet the program does not even slightly touch the subject.

People CAN get help. Lives CAN be saved. Suicide is portrayed as an attention seeking stunt, when the people you should get attention from should be qualified therapists and mental health professionals. Merely touching suicide in a TV show is not going to save lives. I do applaud the creators of this show, but mental health is like physical health- not a joke. Getting actual anxiety attacks are nearly identical to heart attacks. Same symptoms, but heart attacks have several degrees. Suicide is something that like illnesses, CAN be treated.