Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

nimh.nih.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 264 posts

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

#71

Post by azinman2 »

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.

People say that about address mental illness, etc, but what to me is profound about this is that the mere suggestion/glorification increased rates. There will always be impressionable people out there in some kind of state... you can’t fundamentally eliminate sadness in the world. And certainly you can’t eliminate teenage angst, which is likely the real culprit here.

We need some level of balance here.. unlimited guns and unlimited media has been a recipe for disaster.

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

#72

Post by dpkonofa »

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…

>It’s not like we can stop the media from reporting on such things.

Sure you can. Stop watching it. Tell your friends to stop watching it and why. The media nowadays is all about going over the top and sensationalizing things because that's what gets the eyeballs on the screens and that's where the advertisements get them money.

Hurt their wallets and they'll stop.

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

#73

Post by kortilla »

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.

So does access to knives, chemicals and high places.

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

#74

Post by umvi »

irrational wrote: post #49
TheArcane wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

I thought it had to do with the British saying the colonists shouldn't have weapons that could help the colonists revolt against their government. So the constitution says that the people should have access to the weapons they need to overthrow the government if needed. Of course, the constitution writers didn't envision the government having tanks, airplanes, nuclear missiles, etc. that make it practically impossibl…

> that make it practically impossible for modern citizens to overthrow a corrupt government.

Some of the citizens overthrowing the government would be in the military, though, no? Since the military is made up of normal people that live among civilians. It's more likely the military would split into factions, with the revolutionaries gaining control of a sizable chunk of tanks, airplanes, etc. Or maybe the military would stage a coup.

However, a truly tyrannical government would have long purged guns from its civilian population as evidenced by every tyranny ever.

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

#75

Post by slg »

kaonashi wrote: post #58
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?

That isn't my point. My point was that young men are less likely to be aware of or watch a show that isn't targeted at them. They can't really be inspired to copy something that they aren't familiar with. Similarly if the show was the cause of the spike and the audience was largely young girls, why wasn't there a statistically significant spike in the suicide rate of girls?

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

#76

Post by jammygit »

penagwin wrote: post #17

Depression is a tough topic. Speaking from experience here, it's healthy to talk about your feelings, etc. But if you look at the communities like # depression on tumblr/reddit etc, I bet it will make healthy people feel a bit depressed. In kinda a cyclic issue, the problem is that depressed people need to sorrounded them selves with happy people to talk to, consume more positive media,etc. Otherwise you end up feedi…

I actually disagree somewhat: if I’m feeling terrible, happy music makes me feel worse but something a little similar to my mood is soothing. I think that’s why Marilyn Manson and NIN were so popular

Edit: this is to an extent only. Burying yourself in an extremely negative place does make things worse if you spend too much time there or go in too deep

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

#77

Post by esotericn »

penagwin wrote: post #17

Depression is a tough topic. Speaking from experience here, it's healthy to talk about your feelings, etc. But if you look at the communities like # depression on tumblr/reddit etc, I bet it will make healthy people feel a bit depressed. In kinda a cyclic issue, the problem is that depressed people need to sorrounded them selves with happy people to talk to, consume more positive media,etc. Otherwise you end up feedi…

Yeah, I think that the whole "healthy to talk" thing has kind of gone a bit too far here.

It's useful to talk to someone who's understanding; perhaps someone who's been through, or has experienced someone else going through, similar issues.

It's not useful to fall into a community full of broken people who don't know how to help each other.

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

#78

Post by mieseratte »

adrianN wrote: post #27
Mikeb85 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Males commit suicide more, in general (in western countries). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_differences_in_suicide Edit - as for why there were more male suicides linked to this show, one reason for male suicides in western countries is the increasing marginalisation of men (whereas in countries with more female suicides or a more equal ratio, women are highly marginalised). If the show glorifies suicide as a…

Men are more successful, but women try more often.

> Men are more successful, but women try more often.

What's the source behind that, particularly how do they count "try," e.g. is it self-reported or based on emergency services dispatched?

Does something like sitting in your closet with a 12GA in your mouth for 30 minutes only to emerge unscathed, to never speak of it again count as a try?

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

#80

Post by jgrowl »

> NIH-supported study highlights the importance of responsible portrayal of suicide by the media

I'm not going to say that media doesn't play a part, but this is mostly a symptom of an inadequate mental health system and a disfunctional society that provides no sense of community/cohesion. Many of us are painfully alone and directionless. We come from broken homes and experience neglect and abuse in childhood.

Pointing the blame at a TV show just feels insulting.

Post reply on HN