Netflix show '13 Reasons Why' may be linked to increase in teen suicides

The controversial Netflix show 13 Reasons Why may be linked to an increase in teen suicides.

A new study released by the National Institute of Mental Health shows a spike in suicide rates, right after the show premiered.

"The way media portrays suicide may have a bigger impact on young people than we expected," said Dr. Lisa Horowitz of the National Institute of Mental Health.

If you or someone you know needs help or has suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

The new study shows a spike in teen suicide rates, following the premiere of 13 Reasons Why in 2017.

The Netflix show is about a teen who explains why she kills herself.

"The show was released on March 31. And when you look at the next four weeks, April had the biggest spike in suicide rate in the whole five years of the study period that we looked at," said Horowitz, one of the study's authors.

She says they found a 28.9 percent increase in teens killing themselves between the ages of 10 and 17 in the month after that show premiered.

That's a 19-year high in suicides among teens in the United States.

"You know the study doesn’t show causality, but I'm not sure you can say that’s a coincidence," Horowitz said.

Call-To-Talk is also seeing that increase in people calling the Massachusetts Hotline for Suicide Prevention.

The group's director says their volunteers went from answering five calls a month a few years ago to nearly 60,000 a year.

"But because there’s such growth and it’s growing so quickly and people are getting comfortable with the line and might call again and might call repeatedly and it might actually become part of what they do, the need for volunteers is steady," said Call-To-Talk Director Eileen Davis.

Davis says the increase in calls is good, since more people are reaching out when they need help.

But now, they're hoping to double the number of their volunteers to keep up with the higher demands.

"It’s not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, it’s going to continuously ramp up, continuously increase for much longer before we see a turnaround," Davis said.

Call-To-Talk is supported by the United Way.

About 100 volunteers answer calls at the Suicide Prevention Hotline, 24 hours a day.

A Netflix spokesperson sent Boston 25 News the following statement:

"We've just seen the study and are looking into the research, which conflicts with last week's study from the University of Pennsylvania. It’s a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.” 

Cox Media Group