Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why is sending the wrong messages about suicide

The show is about a teenager who before suicide, recorded 13 tapes addressing certain people

Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why deals with fictional teenager Hannah Baker’s death by suicide. Before her death, she recorded a series of 13 cassette tapes, each addressing a person whose actions she felt were instrumental in leading her to the point where she had no option but to take her own life. As a suicide researcher and someone personally affected by suicide, I was very concerned about the messages that come through the programme as well as the way suicide was depicted. Here’s why:

It normalises and legitimises suicide. By providing clear reasons why a person would want to take their