--- title: '13 Reasons Why' Caused Spike in Suicide Searches description: Netflix's "13 Reasons Why" continues to spark controversy after new study shows a spike in searches for suicide after the show's debut. canonical: https://time.com/4880712/netflix-13-reasons-why-suicide-internet-search/ author: Susanna Schrobsdorff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-31T17:33:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:26:24.034Z article:section: Health og:title: '13 Reasons Why' Caused a Spike in Searches About Suicide og:description: The controversial show was criticized by parents and mental health experts og:url: https://time.com/4880712/netflix-13-reasons-why-suicide-internet-search/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59ad292f30f7173/6988cb9bcf40a8d451c4782b/tv-13-reasons-why_reil.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5760 og:image:height: 3240 og:image:alt: 13 Reasons Why og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: '13 Reasons Why' Caused a Spike in Searches About Suicide twitter:description: The controversial show was criticized by parents and mental health experts twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb59ad292f30f7173/6988cb9bcf40a8d451c4782b/tv-13-reasons-why_reil.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # _13 Reasons Why_Triggers a Spike in Google Searches About Suicide > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=8e38a739-221d-4dec-862d-3dbb117907ed&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 3 Tips For Talking To Your Kids About 13 Reasons Why [Watch (HLS stream): 3 Tips For Talking To Your Kids About 13 Reasons Why](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/2WiuvyRU.m3u8) (2:55)  _Published 2017-05-18. 3 tips for parents about how to talk to kids about Netflix's controversial '13 Reasons Why' from Common Sense Media's Polly Conway_  by [Susanna Schrobsdorff](https://time.com/author/susanna-schrobsdorff/)  ## Susanna Schrobsdorff Jul 31, 2017 5:33 PM UTC  by [Susanna Schrobsdorff](https://time.com/author/susanna-schrobsdorff/)  ## Susanna Schrobsdorff Jul 31, 2017 5:33 PM UTC The debate about how and whether to depict suicide on TV or in any kind of entertainment has continued to brew since the March 31 debut of Netlfix’s controversial series _13 Reasons Why_. Aimed a teen audience, the show [graphically depicts the suicide of a high school girl](http://time.com/4775444/13-reasons-why-parental-nightmares/) and its aftermath. The show was criticized for what many mental health professionals saw as a glamorization and distortion of major depression and suicidality, both of which are on the rise among teens. Parents and counselors have offered plenty of anecdotal evidence that the show and its conflicting messages have affected middle and high schoolers particularly in the way they talk about suicide, for better or worse. But now there’s quantitative data on the topic. Researchers at San Diego University in California [analyzed Internet suicide-related searches](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.3333) in the 19 days following the release of _13 Reasons Why_. All such queries were higher than expected for that period by about 19%, which reflects 900,000 to 1.5 million more searches, according to a new research letter published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. While there’s no way to know whether those queries, which included phrases like “how to kill yourself,” preceded actual suicide attempts, researchers noted that suicide search trends have been correlated with actual suicides and that media stories about suicides concur with increased suicide attempts. This research also showed an increase in the number of searches for suicide hotlines and for phrases like “suicide prevention,” after the show debuted which would support the argument made by Netflix and the show’s producers that the show has raised suicide awareness and discussion. _13 Reasons Why_ has been renewed for a second season, much to the dismay of some parents, including the families of two California teens who say their daughters committed suicide after watching the show. They allege that the show’s suicide scene was a trigger for their kids, who were already battling depression. Netflix released a statement expressing sympathy and noting the measures it has taken to help vulnerable viewers. “We have heard from many viewers that _13 Reasons Why_ has opened up a dialogue among parents, teens, schools and mental health advocates around the difficult topics depicted in the show,” reads the statement. “We took [extra precautions](https://www.netflix.com/title/80179249) to alert viewers to the nature of the content and created a global website to help people find local mental health resources.” The unease over the show only adds to existing concerns about teen suicide. A study released in May tracking 32 children’s hospitals nationwide showed that admissions for suicidal behavior and serious self-harm among 5-to-17-year-olds more than doubled between 2008 and 2015\. That’s just a tiny percentage of the kids who are experiencing major depression or anxiety or are hurting themselves in various ways, like cutting. Nationally, 17.7% of teens reported seriously considering attempting suicide in 2015, according to the CDC. Psychiatrists like Dr. Fadi Haddad, co-founder of the Bellevue Hospital Center Children’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program,are also worried about the show’s renewal. He says the series distorts the devastating realities of suicide and depression for teens and their loved ones. Dr. Haddad notes that medical professionals started hearing about the show from patients soon after it aired: “Some of my colleagues in the ER say they say they see kids now saying, ‘I told my mother I’m going to be Hannah Baker,'” a reference to the character in _13 Reasons Why_ who takes her own life. Haddad is particularly concerned about _13 Reasons Why_ because he views it as a combination of revenge fantasy and crime thriller, created more for suspense than a realistic portrayal of suicide. As the first season unfolds, each person who did Hannah wrong is revealed, with Hannah narrating. But as Haddad notes, suicide victims are not around to see people react to accusations that they contributed to their death. And anyone who’s lost a friend or child to suicide knows that you don’t need a tape to feel responsible in some way after someone takes their own life. In fact, part of the job of counselors and psychiatrists like Haddad is to help survivors alleviate what can be crippling guilt and to better understand this devastating illness.”\[This show\] is the opposite of the kind of awareness we want,” says Haddad. **Read TIME’s cover story:** [Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not All Right](http://time.com/magazine/us/4547305/november-7th-2016-vol-188-no-19-u-s/) **And:** [Teen Depression and Anxiety: What Parents Can Do](http://time.com/4546993/teen-depression-and-anxiety-what-parents-can-do/) [What it Feels Like When All Your Parental Nightmares Are Rolled Into One TV Show](http://time.com/4775444/13-reasons-why-parental-nightmares/) **Resources from Common Sense Media for families:** [13 Reasons Why: Five Conversations Families Should Have ](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/5-conversations-to-have-with-your-teens-after-13-reasons-why) [13 Reasons Why: Review (TV) 16+](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/13-reasons-why) ## Transcript I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. [ MUSIC ] This show definitely recreates a world that is real for kids, in terms of how much social media activity happens. And it shows the dark parts of high school life and situations that are real and that happen, and I think that teens respond to that big time. Just ask have you seen the show? If the answer was yes, what did you think of it? Does this seem like something that would happen in real life? What would you do if you were in this position? The major discussion points for me It's not necessarily the content, the suicide, the rape. It's the way its addressed in the show, the way that the suicide is framed as sort of a revenge. That's not how it works. [ UNKNOWN ] Come on. I would make sure that my kid would be comfortable talking to me about- That stuff happening in their lives and the lives of their friends. I think that so many times it's kept a secret. You gotta start opening up to us, kid. Just opening the door to discussing what you might do in that situation. That it's okay to tell people that that's something that's You know gonna get you more assistance and more guidance. If you gonna watch it, watch it together and talk about it together. Even if you don't allow your kid to watch it at least you could use its existence as an opportunity to discuss these issues. It's a dark show. It's not for everybody but a lot of parents and Have come to us and said what a great opportunity it was for them to come together and talk about something that they were not going to talk about otherwise. Some of you care. None of you cared enough. Also just because this show or any show is bingeable Doesn't mean you have to do it that way. This show is so deeply emotional and hard to watch. I can't imagine watching it all in one sitting and then going about my regular business. So if parents are deciding to watch it with their kids, I would So take it one or two episodes at a time. There is a world of resources available to kids who have watched this show or kids who are dealing with mental health issues. And adults want to help and I think that that's something that this show doesn't necessarily drive home too much, but I think it's really important for kids to know that. That's really all adults want is to be involved and to help. That's all. 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