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Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

nimh.nih.gov

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Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#51

Post by ISL »

kaffeemitsahne wrote: post #16

Potentially OT. Why do people write >"While suicide rates for females increased after the show’s release, the increase was not statistically significant." instead of >"Suicide rates for females did not increase significantly after the show's release." ? I have seen this quite often and it always seems a bit misleading to me. Edit: I should have written the 2nd version as "No statistically significant increase in [...…

The former is technically correct and much more descriptive.

The latter is potentially-misleading. One might think that the rate did not increase at all, when in fact it did, or that it did not increase "a lot" (the colloquial understanding of significant). "Statistically-significant" is a keyword with technical meaning.

The former could mean that the rate increased by 2±2 units. A more-precise study might show that the rate did increase, or it might not. All we know from the former is that the rate increased, but that the rate was not statistically-significant.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#52

Post by ericmcer »

umvi wrote: post #10
aphextim wrote: post #2

Same reason that when they show the shooter's face all over the media and they give them tons and tons of attention, it typically spawns more copycats who are just lonely/sad/broken teens looking for the same attention. In the show, this teen's suicide was portrayed to have had an impact on many students/families/teachers etc for a very long time after the incident. It almost glorified the suicide and the methods of…

The scary thing is that both this article and the example you cited are used as reasons to limit constitutional freedoms: Limit second amendment more to prevent mass shootings. Limit first amendment more to prevent suicides. Really though, we should be focusing on the root cause: lonely/sad/broken people. Focus on helping/loving them and I bet suicide/mass shooting rates drop significantly.

Definitely a controversial viewpoint currently. Forget assault rifles, an individual could own a machine gun well into the 70s but mass shootings were unheard of back then. I am for gun control but the underlying issues are being ignored if we treat it like the root of the problem.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#53

Post by mieseratte »

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #13
aphextim wrote: post #2

Same reason that when they show the shooter's face all over the media and they give them tons and tons of attention, it typically spawns more copycats who are just lonely/sad/broken teens looking for the same attention. In the show, this teen's suicide was portrayed to have had an impact on many students/families/teachers etc for a very long time after the incident. It almost glorified the suicide and the methods of…

I don't have much experience with suicide but to add to this, I think attention can go both ways. I once saw a picture of someone who had committed suicide and it was quite distressing. Attention can both lead to glorification or put people off, depending on the way it's done. In most cases it seems to be hidden away and people may not know what actually happens when they do this. One common example now is the jumpin…

> I don't have much experience with suicide but to add to this, I think attention can go both ways.

It's the difference between a ruggedly handsome cowboy and a diseased lung on your pack of smokes.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#54

Post by slg »

>When researchers analyzed the data by sex, they found the increase in the suicide rate was primarily driven by significant increases in suicide in young males.

"13 Reasons Why" was a show about the suicide of a young girl and was primarily aimed at a young female audience. If the studies numbers were primarily driven by an increase in suicides among young males, the causation implied seems rather dubious.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#55

Post by jcoffland »

TheArcane wrote: post #20
umvi wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scary thing is that both this article and the example you cited are used as reasons to limit constitutional freedoms: Limit second amendment more to prevent mass shootings. Limit first amendment more to prevent suicides. Really though, we should be focusing on the root cause: lonely/sad/broken people. Focus on helping/loving them and I bet suicide/mass shooting rates drop significantly.

> Limit second amendment more to prevent more shootings. I've always wondered the validity of a "constitutional freedom" that allows random everyday people to own and operate tools that are essentially killing machines.

Do you mean cars?

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#56

Post by dbatten »

kaffeemitsahne wrote: post #16

Potentially OT. Why do people write >"While suicide rates for females increased after the show’s release, the increase was not statistically significant." instead of >"Suicide rates for females did not increase significantly after the show's release." ? I have seen this quite often and it always seems a bit misleading to me. Edit: I should have written the 2nd version as "No statistically significant increase in [...…

IMO, your proposed second option leaves ambiguity as to whether "significant" means "statistically significant" or "materially significant." The original option is clear on that point.

However, I would argue that the original text is also misleading, because if the result wasn't statistically significant, there's no evidence that rates for females increased. If anything, the first option could perhaps say "While suicide rates for females IN THE STUDY increased after the show's release, the increase was not statistically significant, so we have no evidence that it's a real effect."

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#57

Post by dymk »

rhcom2 wrote: post #44
umvi wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The scary thing is that both this article and the example you cited are used as reasons to limit constitutional freedoms: Limit second amendment more to prevent mass shootings. Limit first amendment more to prevent suicides. Really though, we should be focusing on the root cause: lonely/sad/broken people. Focus on helping/loving them and I bet suicide/mass shooting rates drop significantly.

We know for a fact access to firearms increases the chance of a successful suicide. That suggests a clear change that could help save lives and limits to the 2nd Amendment have already been settled as constitutional. "Focus on helping/loving them" is not a policy change, to me it's nothing but "thoughts and prayers". Rhetoric that might make us feel better but will help nothing.

Access to bridges also increases the chances of successful suicide.

The clear change that should be suggested is more proactive identification of mental illness and increased guaranteed access to mental health services. If that reads to you as nothing but "thoughts and prayers", I don't know what to say.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#58

Post by kaonashi »

slg wrote: post #54

>When researchers analyzed the data by sex, they found the increase in the suicide rate was primarily driven by significant increases in suicide in young males. "13 Reasons Why" was a show about the suicide of a young girl and was primarily aimed at a young female audience. If the studies numbers were primarily driven by an increase in suicides among young males, the causation implied seems rather dubious.

You don't think young men can find young women influencing?

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#59

Post by ec109685 »

kaffeemitsahne wrote: post #16

Potentially OT. Why do people write >"While suicide rates for females increased after the show’s release, the increase was not statistically significant." instead of >"Suicide rates for females did not increase significantly after the show's release." ? I have seen this quite often and it always seems a bit misleading to me. Edit: I should have written the 2nd version as "No statistically significant increase in [...…

Why not just say: Suicide rates for females did not change in a statistically significant way.

Re: Release of “13 Reasons Why” Associated with Increase in Youth Suicide Rates

#60

Post by rhcom2 »

pm90 wrote: post #8
aphextim wrote: post #2

Same reason that when they show the shooter's face all over the media and they give them tons and tons of attention, it typically spawns more copycats who are just lonely/sad/broken teens looking for the same attention. In the show, this teen's suicide was portrayed to have had an impact on many students/families/teachers etc for a very long time after the incident. It almost glorified the suicide and the methods of…

Makes sense. But how do we address it? It’s not like we can stop the media from reporting on such things. Perhaps the show could have been rated for adults only? It seems like teens today do face challenges that weren’t faced by my generation or the ones before that. Social media, internet enabled always on devices seem to have changed the experience of being a teenager. Perhaps there are deeper issues at stake that…

There are ways to report on suicide responsibly that are supported by evidence[1]. I think we need similar guidelines for mass shootings.

[1] http://reportingonsuicide.org/

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