13 Reasons Why writer defends show’s graphic depiction of suicide

Suicide is fact of life whether we understand or not and whether our beliefs file it under ‘sad’, ‘natural’, or ‘hellish’. It happens. And it happens not because the victim wants to die, but because they are not living the life they want to live and don’t know how to get that life. This is underpinned by mental illness…let’s face it, someone of sound mind and spirit wouldn’t dream of ending it all. To say it ‘won’t happen to me or anyone I know’ or worse, to say ‘they just kill themselves because they are weak and selfish’ is to add a layer or misunderstanding and hatred on top of the anguish and mental illness that already exists. Do I approve of graphic content to demonstrate how and why people kill themselves? Absolutely! Education about suicide has been akin to sex education in the 1950s – we just shouldn’t talk about such evil things. So if we can’t educate and we still think the victim is entirely to blame, how do we go about preventing it? Maybe ‘shock’ is just the thing. Another thing we can all try is love of course. And more facts about mental illness, including the fact that it can actually happen to ‘you’ and/or ‘someone you know’. Whatever works, however it works, lets at least try.