GESTIÓN EN SALUD PÚBLICA: BioEdge: Release of “13 Reasons Why” associated with increase in youth suicide

domingo, 5 de mayo de 2019

BioEdge: Release of “13 Reasons Why” associated with increase in youth suicide

BioEdge: Release of “13 Reasons Why” associated with increase in youth suicide

Bioedge

Release of “13 Reasons Why” associated with increase in youth suicide

by Michael Cook | 5 May 2019 |

The Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” was associated with a 28.9% increase in suicide rates among U.S. youth ages 10-17 in April 2017, following the show's premiere, after accounting for ongoing trends in suicide rates, according to a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The findings highlight the need for caution when portraying suicide in the media.

The number of deaths by suicide recorded in that month was greater than the number in any month in the five-year period examined by the researchers. The increase was primarily driven by significant increases in suicide among young males.

The researchers found that the rates of suicide for 10 to 17-year-olds was significantly higher in April, June, and December 2017 than were expected based on past data. This increase translated into an additional estimated 195 suicide deaths between April 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2017. The researchers did not find any significant trends in older people.

“13 Reasons Why” tells the story of a young girl who kills herself and leaves behind a series of 13 tapes detailing the reasons why she chose to end her life. Although the series has received critical acclaim, it has also generated questions about how it affects young people.

The findings of this study add to a growing body of information suggesting that youth may be particularly sensitive to the way suicide is portrayed in popular entertainment and the media. A number of groups, such as National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the World Health Organization, and reporting on suicide.org, to create best practices for talking about and portraying suicide on screen. These recommend, for example, that the media should avoid depicting suicide methods.

The second season of “13 Reasons Why” was released in May 2018, and a third season is currently in production and is expected to be released sometime this year.

Michael Cook is editor of BioEdge

The government's statistics for euthanasia in the Netherlands were released recently. They show that the number of people who took advantage of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia declined slightly -- about 7% -- for the first time since 2006.

To be completely candid, I regard a decline in the number of euthanasia cases as good news. That is, if it is true. It is possible that more cases were simply not reported to the authorities. Fewer euthanasia cases means fewer people in desperate pain and fewer people who feel that their lives are meaningless.

However, this is not the way that euthanasia supporters see it. For them it was bad news because fewer people had taken advantage of the blessing of a peaceful death. From their point of view, good news is an ever-increasing, upward-sloping line on a graph.

Euthanasia already accounts for at least 4% of all deaths in the Netherlands. What proportion are its supporters aiming at? 5%? 10%? 40%? I have never read any projections of this figure. It would be interesting to know what the future holds for the Dutch.