Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Luke Mick
Abstract
Few movies or series today have gained enough attention from the public to have the
opportunities to make any actual positive change in regards to suicide and depression. Those that
have managed to get anywhere significant have created little or no change at all, or have
managed to make the situation worse than it was before. To make a film or television series
centered around this intense topic, those that are involved in doing so should take caution and
pay attention to detail through extensive research and critique from mental health professionals.
Sadly, the film giants on this issue have either done quite the opposite, or just weren’t cautious
enough.
Part I: Introduction
In the year of 2017, 1.4 million Americans attempted to commit suicide. Of those 1.4
million, 47,173 were successful. On today’s average, 129 suicides are committed every day.
With suicide being the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, many have tried their
hand in producing films and series’ focused on this topic. With film being one of the great
“escapes” in the medial world, it would seem to be a decent way to show people the true horrors
all around them. Sadly, the few that even manage to catch the eye of the public tend to do more
harm than good. Based on past attempts, as well as reviews by psychology experts, the previous
portrayals are meant more for entertainment purposes than reducing the suicide rate itself, and
lack the real issues and subtlety that most victims possess.
The most important step into creating a story around this topic that can actually possess
the potential to lower the rate of suicide is to include all that is necessary without causing any
rises in the overall rate. But before that can be done, it’s best to take a look at the more common
causes of suicide and depression: relationships, media, income, etc. Other significant things to
include are statistics. When making a film that is informative, it’s important to include any
necessary information that can positively affect the viewer’s perspective on the topic. In the case
of those affected by suicide and depression, the most crucial piece that requires an extremity of
care, is how it is all portrayed. Some scenes can be triggering for some audiences, and that can
potentially have a negative effect on the rate of suicide as it has done in the past.
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When including the facts and statistics, it’s important to have something to compare them
to. In this context, I am taking a look at stats, factors, and solutions from the mid to late 20th
Starting in the mid 20th century, suicide rates were, to be expected, lower than they
currently are. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, from 1950 to 1975,
the average rate of suicide was 11.46 per 100,000 individuals. Throughout those years, there
weren’t any significant jumps or drops, which [can lead to] suggests that it wasn’t a well-known
problem like it is today. This may not come off as a surprise to some considering how American
families had been faring financially. The United States economy was doing very well for itself.
At least, that’s what former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich tells us in his documentary
Inequality for All. If one adjusts for inflation, middle-class workers at the time were earning
more than they currently are, so family finances weren’t as big of an issue. [As an added bonus,
the lack of cellular communication forced friends to spend time with each other in person rather
At the beginning of 1976, the suicide rate lowered until the next year when the U.S.
experienced a jump to 12.7 per 100,000, leading to the new highest national average within a
year. This 1.66% increase could’ve come from a few major events during that year. Anita
Bryant’s anti-gay “Save Our Children” movement caused Miami Florida to repeal the gay rights
ordinance. With it being such a large movement at the time, it had effects throughout the
country, possibly causing suicides in the LGBTQ community. Also taking place that year,
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flooding in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and Grundy, Virginia caused billions in damages, resulting
in a loss of homes and lives. This often results in families having to be relocated and struggle to
make a living. With such financial problems, many individuals can be led to depression, then
finally develop suicidal ideation. Sadly, details regarding the suicide rates during the 20th
century have become nigh impossible to find and details given above can only be classified as
mere educated guesses. However, the next few decades were almost completely still. Slight rises
and drops here and there, never too large until 1994-2000. Within those six years, the average
national rate decreased, resulting in 15% less suicides nationwide. Since then, no equally
Instead of lowering, the suicide rates for the past several years have only increased. In
2017, rates rose to an all-time high of 14 suicides per 100,000. During this time, 547,000 adults
were hospitalized after attempting suicide. While the suicide rate for men is 3.54x higher than
women, the number of hospitalizations for women was larger by nearly 100,000. This is due to
the methods more commonly used by each gender. While more than half of attempts made by
men were done so using firearms, women typically attempted suicide by poisoning, which isn’t
always successful. Since 2017, no drops in the U.S. suicide rates have occurred. The Healthy
People 2020 goal is to reduce suicides rates to 10.2 per 100,000 by the year 2020, but with the
steadily increasing numbers, serious work and contributions would be needed before such a
This continues to present a problem in some immensely obvious ways, and in ways that
we might not entirely expect. There are the issues most know; depression, anger, death, and other
symptoms that mainly affect the singular person and a few around them. Others are not quite as
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spending are sometimes not as clear, but are still certainly drastic to both the victim and the
When figuring out what factors should be included in a story around suicide and
depression, it is best to start by identifying a few. In this section, several different factors will be
focused on, each lying in one of three main categories: environmental, economic, and social,
respectively.
The most prevalent environmental cause to look at is elevation. Believe it or not, one’s
elevation can often have a negative impact on their mental health. Researchers from the
University of Utah analyzed 12 different studies regarding altitude and depression. They found
that the suicide rate increases by 0.4 per 100,000 individuals for every 100-meter increase in
altitude. Once the math is done, the numbers begin to rapidly add up, causing the suicide rates in
mountainous towns to become significantly larger. In more detail, as described by David Railton
hypoxia,” which occurs when atmospheric pressure results in low blood oxygen. Chronic
hypobaric hypoxia could have an adverse effect on the brain or perhaps alter how it
maintaining mood balance, and low serotonin levels have been linked to depression.
https://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/causing-suicide/
Above is a representation of the suicide rates by state, providing evidence that elevation
can play a significant role. States in red represent those with the highest suicide rates per
100,000, while states in grey represent those with the lowest rates.
Another more well-known factor is income. Naturally, it comes to no surprise that more
suicides are reported amongst individuals with a lower income. More specifically, research done
by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco suggests that “individuals with family incomes
below $34,000 are significantly more likely to commit suicide than those with incomes above
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$34,000[.]” ([pg.] 20). However, those with low incomes aren’t the only ones suffering. People
with higher incomes and social status are still susceptible to depression and anxiety. Judi Cineas,
Ph.D., who works as a psychotherapist and clinical social worker in Palm Beach, Florida, told
[“]The high performers are under great pressure to continue to excel. The higher they are,
the greater the pressure to keep excelling. There is also the threat to consistently be a cut
above because there are many others lined up and waiting for the opportunity to take the
The article in which Cineas talks of the higher class speaks to the fairly recent suicides of
Kate Spade, famous fashion designer, and Anthony Bourdain, renowned chef and author. Krans,
the article’s author, even goes into how some groups, mentioning the American Association of
Suicidology, omit details of the suicides for public safety concern and to avoid any replications
of the suicides. This is a big topic regarding idolization, which will be spoken to later.
While income focuses almost entirely on adults, this next topic focuses mostly on
adolescents. [Just about any social cause of suicide can be traced back to one’s school.] The
more common causes being bullying and loneliness. I’ll first speak to the former.
Bullying isn’t near as easy to identify as one may believe. Many who haven’t been
involved would most likely think of the “stereotypical bully” that is often seen in film. This type
of bully can resort to any length of physical contact from a shoulder bump to actual fighting.
Other stereotypical bullies often use childish pranks or name-calling. While these can be the case
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in real life, you would typically find that most bullies don’t resort to physical contact or call
people names [continuously], but instead, purposely exclude others or spread rumors. However,
the observable victim isn’t always the only one at risk of suicidal ideation. According to the
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (CDC), “Youth who report both bullying
others and being bullied (bully-victims) have the highest risk for suicide-related behavior of any
groups that report involvement in bullying[.]” (2). This suggests that any of those involved in the
Loneliness is another matter entirely. While many causes of depression and suicide are
observable, conditions such as loneliness and hopelessness are sometimes incredibly hard to
spot. To make it easier, it’s helpful to learn some of the different ways in which one can develop
feelings of loneliness. While there is the obvious sense of loneliness that develops when you’re
physically alone, the more common and complex case is when one feels out-of-place. This can
take place when one is alongside a single person or residing in a large group and can cause them
to attempt to “fit in,” which can force them to change something about themselves. This change
can be large or small, from clothing to entire personalities, and more than often present
The main reason that one should look more deeply into the causes of suicide and
depression are because of the representation that is shown on screen. How it is portrayed is a
major factor that dictates whether or not a film or series can have a positive impact. If it is
portrayed poorly, it can often be seen as immature or unrealistic. This can steer the viewer’s
There are a great many other factors to positive and negative mental health (media,
extracurricular activities, relationships, PTSD, etc.), but those discussed are some of the more
relevant issues. A significant amount of these problems can be positively portrayed on screen if
one manages to write a script with immense research and care. In doing so, a great first step is to
examine similar past attempts. Many have tried their hand in producing films based on this topic,
but the few that have grabbed society’s attention have had very little positive impact. The biggest
and most well known of these is the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why.
The series became an instant hit, particularly with adolescents. But what was disguised as
a means to help those in need, did more harm than good. The story behind the show is about a
girl, Hannah, who commits suicide and leaves thirteen tapes for the people that steered her
towards making that decision. It [immediately] starts off positively with the cast warning the
viewer of what the show consists of. They even provide a number that you can call if you’re
facing depression or suicidal ideation. However, even a great start couldn’t save them from what
took place all around the country afterward. With the release of the show, the U.S. suicide rate
increased by 0.54 per 100,000, resulting in the all-time high rate of 14.00. Some have attempted
to argue that the show isn’t the cause for such a high rate, and they may be slightly right. While
the show itself probably isn’t entirely to blame, a study done by JAMA Internal Medicine was
done using Google search trends not long after the show was released. Google searches
regarding the topic rose by 20 percent after just 19 days of the show’s release. This represents an
increase of between 900,000 and 1.5 million searches in regards to the topic. As said in an article
actual suicide attempts, although JAMA notes that there’s typically a correlation between
the two, and that “searches for precise suicide methods increased after the series’
release.” Their analyses, the authors concluded, “suggest 13 Reasons Why, in its present
form, has both increased suicide awareness while unintentionally increasing suicidal
ideation.[”]
The final episode even shows the graphic death of the main character, portraying it as if it
was the right decision, or not even a decision at all, but the only option. This is the instance in
which psychologists use the term “romanticizing suicide” in regards to the show. Other
unnecessary pieces to the show that can be potentially traumatizing are as follows; violent
bullying, detailed rape scenes, and a slew of adults and counselors that are depicted as the
The main issue regarding the series is the connectability that some can experience with
Hannah. In the show, the viewer is able to follow her on her journey through depression until
reaching the tipping point of suicide. She faces an extremity of problems, so much so that many
can relate to some of the things that she experiences. This can cause the people that “connect
with her” to look up to her. This is where idolization, mentioned previously during the topic of
income and suicide, comes into play. In the media, it is not always an issue when someone looks
up to another, but in a popular series where the main character is a depressed, suicidal teen who
is written to seemingly care more about revenge than getting help, it can and did have drastically
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negative effects. Of course, it does not help to ignore mental health experts when they say the
show is not ready to be released. Sadly, that is exactly the mistake Netflix had made.
When going through my research, specifically that which involved the suicide spike in
regards to 13 Reasons Why, I was quite appalled to see that anyone would put an immense
amount of work into a series based on teen suicide and depression, but ignore putting in the
necessary research that would allow the show to have a more positive impact. Furthermore, when
experts warned of the dangers of releasing the show in such a state, Netflix displayed their true
ignorance by setting aside those concerns and releasing the series anyways. It is not impossible
to write a well-written script while also providing the public with a trusted resource regarding the
topic of suicide and depression. All that is necessary is research and trusted critique by those that
There are no sensible arguments suggesting that the fight against suicide and depression
is not worth it. The loss of life should always be put at the top of our issues that need to be
tackled, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. If government
spending is an issue one would prefer to tackle first, they would do well to keep in mind that
suicide and self-injury now cost the government around $70 billion a year. If equality is more
important, then it is time to find out why the suicide rate for whites and natives are so much
higher than anyone else. If someone is concerned about gun violence, they should take a look at
how many deaths by firearms are related to suicide and other mental health problems. This is an
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issue that is present in more places than one would initially realize, making it a big step to
One of the many reasons that people choose not to get help is because they see it as a sign
of weakness, men in particular. It has been proven time and time again that simply speaking out
about one’s issues, whether to trusted adults or organizations, reduces the risk of developing
suicidal ideation, and can even get rid of it entirely. Below is a list of resources that anyone can
Befrienders.org
When the people responsible for assisting those in need begin to fail, that duty begins to
fall upon the unaffected. This can consist of friends, family, etc. Not only do they typically face
issues of their own, but the victims themselves, as mentioned previously, often feel that seeking
help is a sign of weakness. This causes those that wish to help the victims to push the matter
further in the fear that the situation could become worse, and in turn, accidentally end up
worsening the situation themselves. This doesn’t necessarily cause a loop, but creates the same
No parent should have to live with the worry and fear that their children could be a
danger to themselves. That much is clear. So why shouldn’t we care about this issue? Some see
suicide as a taboo topic, but in actuality, it’s quite the opposite. The more people that involve
themselves, in small or large ways, the more that can be done to hold back this contagion.
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Works Cited
Daly, Mary, et al. “Relative Status and Well-Being: Evidence from U.S. Suicide Deaths”
https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/wp07-12bk.pdf.
Gilbert, Sophie. “Did 13 Reasons Why Spark a Contagion Effect”, August 1, 2017,
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/08/13-reasons-why-dem
onstrates-cultures-power/535518/.
“Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Data Resources,” Global Health
Hedegaard, Holly. “Suicide Rates in the United States Continue to Increase”, Centers for
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db309.htm.
ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=081d5907-6c5c-4349-bf50
-9a1f1c404520%40pdc-v-sessmgr03.
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Krans, Brian. “Being Successful Doesn’t Make You Immune From Suicide”, June 11,
2018,
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/being-successful-doesnt-make-you-imm
une-from-suicide#5.
Mock, Mary. “Fact or Fiction: You Can Be Prosecuted for Encouraging or Causing
https://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/causing-suicide/
Railton, David. “How High Altitudes Could Raise Risk of Depression, Suicide”, March
“The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What It Means
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.p
df