In the finale episode of Netflix’s original show, “13 Reasons Why,” Hannah Baker, played by Katherine Langford, kills herself in a scene many high schoolers have said they had to turn away from watching.

But the creators intended for this scene to be difficult for the viewer. In “Beyond the Reasons,” a 30-minute documentary that accompanied the Netflix show when it became available on March 31, and which included interviews with the cast, producers, and mental health experts, Brian Yorkey, the creator of the series explained.  “We did want it to be painful to watch,” Yorkey said “because we wanted it to be very clear that there is nothing–in any way–worthwhile about suicide.”

“13 Reasons Why,” an adaption of Jay Asher’s bestselling 2007 Young Adult novel, is about Baker, a high school sophomore, and her suicide. Before she commits suicide, she creates thirteen tapes for the people that have hurt her along the way or played a role in her suicide, some people having two tapes. The tapes were meant to be listened to and then passed off to another person who appeared on the tapes. The television-viewer hears these tapes alongside Hannah’s friend Clay Jensen, played by Dylan Minnette.   

The show has received significant praise for its attempts to spark conversations about suicide, bullying, mental illnesses, and rape, as two characters in the show are brutally raped. WIRED magazine called it one of Netflix’s best original shows.

“It’s a very compelling story, and it really grabs your attention and your interest because it is framed as a mystery,” Winnie Kearns, a high school counselor, said, “so I can understand why people really get pulled into the story.”

The show, co-produced by Selena Gomez, has also prompted complaint, with various people saying that the scenes that are sparking conversations are too graphic. In a May 2017 New York Times article, Dr. Victor Schwartz, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of the JED foundation, which protects the emotional health and prevent suicide for teens and young adults, said that “missteps are high stakes,” in the cases of these scenes.

A professor of epidemiology and psychiatry at Columbia University said that “someone else’s death by suicide can reinforce a vulnerable person’s motivation to die by suicide.” This mimicking of action is called the “contagion effect.” According to Kearns, the contagion effect is the idea that if someone is seen doing it, other people will mimic it.

Some psychiatrists along with come teachers and parents are cautioning young adults who are thinking about watching the show. In an email addressed to parents, superintendent to schools in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y, Lisa Brady wrote, “We are concerned about our children watching this series without adult supervision because it romanticizes and sensationalizes the idea of suicide.”

Upper School Counselor and health teacher Binita Donahue touched upon the subject of suicidality as part of a one period class second semester. The Middle School has also held a discussion for students.

The initial reaction after the show’s debut, Donahue, was a sort of “buzz” and a desire to talk about not only the show, but also the topic of suicide more generally. Donahue found that the 30 minute special “did not hit the points I wanted to make,” but she did talk to students about how to act if they were concerned about a peer.

Donahue also believes that some of the content in “13 Reasons Why” does not directly factualize what typically happens in suicide cases.  She said, “In my experience, with both adolescents that struggle with suicide and my experience with completed suicides, plotting everything like that doesn’t typically happen.”

Donahue was in communication with some independent schools about “13 Reasons Why” from early April onward.  She says the point of the discussion has been to weigh the pros and cons of the series and to talk about what others are doing at their buildings.  “As a counseling department here at Parker we have discussed the series as well,” Donahue said.

But a number of Parker middle schoolers have read and watched the series too–so much so that on April 20 Intermediate & Middle School Head John Novick sent a note to parents detailing the show and its content.
“If your student is unaware of this series and has not watched it, we recommend that you clarify your expectations around the series, indicating that it is not intended for younger audiences,” Novick said in the note.  “If your child indicates a level of curiosity about ‘13 Reasons’ after this conversation, we recommend that you begin with the book and read it together.”

On April 18 Middle School Counselor Reyna Smith spoke to 40 teachers from fourth to eighth grades regarding the show.

Both Donahue and Novick have the same goal in mind: to guide students in conversations about suicide and mental health. “These are not topics to run away from but to engage in conversations,” Novick said. “When students have the conversations about self-harm and suicide, to have an adult present is important–not to control them, but to guide the conversation.”