April 26, 2017: 13 Reasons Why – Discussion

Dear Colleagues,

Although there was an MDPH School Health Email  sent earlier this week, I felt it was essential to provide you with the resources and materials that I have received concerning the recent series on Netflix, 13 Reasons Why, which is getting a great deal of attention from our students.

There continues to be a great deal  of appropriate concern around the message and potential impact of 13 Reasons Why, which is a book and now a series on Netflix. This is an opportunity to have conversations with our students and the school staff and parents who support them to provide context and understanding around safe messaging, and to revisit your school’s programs related to suicide prevention programs. Below are some links to materials that provide guidelines for how we talk with youth about suicide about media portrayals and social media messages that affect them and other vulnerable individuals. As we know, students who receive guidance and education about these issues can be powerful allies in cultivating and maintaining a safety net.

From Riverside Trauma Center:  Parent Materials: http://riversidetraumacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/13ReasonsWhy.pdf
From the National Association of School Psychologists: http://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources/school-safety-and-crisis/preventing-youth-suicide/13-reasons-why-netflix-series-considerations-for-educators
From the Jed Foundation:   https://www.jedfoundation.org/13-reasons-jed-point-view/

 

It is imperative to remember 5 key things when discussing suicide in any form of media.

1)   Remember the contagion effect.  Suicide rates increase when a suicide death is reported-especially in adolescents.

2)   Be prepared for this by always reporting that suicide is 100 percent preventable with treatment and help. 

3)   Provide access to hotlines, support groups, treatment centers, crisis numbers so that every person reading that article or listening to that presentation remembers hope is always    available and know where to find it.

4)   Use responsible language when reporting on suicide such as a person “died by suicide”, “died by self-inflicted gunshot or injuries”. It is even better to not include suicide in the news title or post on social media, rather that a person died and list the cause of death in the content.

5)   Follow up-Share another post or have another conversation after your first one to still reach out and remind people of services available.

For more information and key tips: https://www.save.org/about-suicide/preventing-suicide/reporting-on-suicide/

Please feel free to share the information here with parents, students, school staff and our many other partners in suicide prevention.

Thank you for your care and concern of our students every day!
Mary Ann