If “13 Reasons Why” Comes Back for a Second Season, It Needs to Make One Major Change

Trigger Warning: This article discusses suicide.

After around thirteen days of seeing advertisements, posts and even memes splashed across social media, my curiosity and desire to be in-the-loop took over: I caved and watched the popular Netflix series about teen suicide, 13 Reasons Why.

I knew what it was about. I’d seen spoilers online. I already had a little voice in the back of my head warning me against the show. I pressed play anyway.

As I watched each episode, the sick feeling in my stomach grew and grew, and yet I couldn’t tear myself away from the screen,

I hunted out opportunities in my busy week to watch the next episode. I needed to know what happened next. But the sick feeling never went away.

You see, the problem (or at least one of them) with 13 Reasons Why is that it provided no network of support for those affected by the distressing contents of the show.

If even I was left feeling empty and upset after watching several of the episodes, I can only imagine how vulnerable teenagers already suffering from mental illness must feel upon watching the series.

Granted, a few episodes begin with trigger warnings. However, this is not enough. The episodes needed to further support the audience by providing resources at the end of episodes, to help viewers access critical mental health services. (Thankfully, as Buzzfeed reports, Netflix is updating the warnings across some episodes, directing viewers to 13ReasonsWhy.info, "a global resource center that provides information about professional organisations that support help around the serious matters addressed in the show.")

While the series does well to portray the reality and danger of bullying, it completely lacks any analysis or even reference to mental illness. Research shows that understanding of mental illnesses such as depression can help validate one’s emotions, and encourage help-seeking behaviours. So how is 13 Reasons Why helping impressionable watchers by skirting around the issue?

The series has obviously been helpful in stimulating discussion about taboo subjects such as suicide and rape, yet it does little in the way of destigmatising mental illness itself.

Suicide contagion is real. 13 Reasons Why brings the topic into public discourse, but doesn’t provide the resources or psychological understanding behind it to help viewers. Rather, it positions suicide as an almost justified and inevitable endpoint of extended bullying and trauma.

This puts us at a crossroads—do we talk about suicide and risk contagion, or do we sweep it under the rug? I don’t think there’s an easy answer. There's no doubt that talking about suicide can be helpful, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding of mental health and access to appropriate resources.

While I have strong reservations about the series, I do believe that Netflix should make a second season, if – and only if – they are prepared to deal more appropriately with mental illness.

Netflix has millions of teens (and adults) hooked. Now it needs to use its platform to properly educate and support vulnerable viewers.

Are you experiencing suicidal thoughts or domestic and family violence? Seeking to support someone who is? Call Lifeline on 131 114 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.

Visit ReachOut to get support to help you with everything from everyday issues through to tough times.

Congratulations to Emily for winning this week's writing challenge: Should Netflix Make a Second Season of "13 Reasons Why"? Emily wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: Netflix