13 Reasons Why I Don't Watch '13 Reasons Why'

I'm sure that in some ways they thought this would prevent more suicides because it would share awareness. In all reality, it did the exact opposite. It made suicide famous and made mental disorder conditions worse. Here's why...

1. It idolizes suicide.

Hannah Baker commits suicide and all of a sudden she becomes the talk of the school. Everything is done in her honor or because of her. The show portrays that by committing suicide she became "popular" and that is so far from the truth in real life.

2. It suggests that Clay's love could've saved her.

This is ridiculous because suicide is so much more complex than a failed love story. Actually, it's degrading that someone would think its actually that simple. There is such a bigger problem that people don't like to recognize. Why? Because people are scared to discuss mental illnesses because they don't understand them. People fear what they don't know, which is why so many people are uneducated regarding the matter. Also on a side note, Hannah could've asked Clay out herself, just saying.

3. The show insists that suicide is the solution to high school problems.

This is one of the main reasons. The show basically says, "well if you're having a problem in high school, record 13 tapes of your bad high school experiences and kill yourself. Problem solved." This is not true. Nothing is worth ending your life over, especially high school. High school does come to an end I promise, and if there is something that is happening to you personally please tell someone. Tell a school counselor, a trusted teacher, your parents, or the police. Don't let bullying control your life. Take action and be proactive about the situation. You don't deserve to deal with that on a daily basis.

4. It poorly explains self-harming.

Self-harming is not a solution to suicide, its a symptom. So when Skye says, "Suicide is for cowards. This is what you do to not commit suicide," she is terribly wrong. Self-harm is not okay and it definitely is not romantic like they portray it.

5. It portrays guidance counselors as the enemy.

In all reality everyone in the public schooling system has to take a class on recognizing the signs of suicide, especially school guidance counselors. No school counselor would keep rape a secret for another student, and no school counselor would not take a threat of suicide seriously. They are trained to help and that is what they do. They are not the enemy as portrayed in 13 Reasons Why.

6. It suggests that committing suicide is the ultimate stab in the back to those who hurt you.

This is extremely far from true. Suicide is not the ultimate stab in the back. Stick up for yourself in these situations, don't make suicide tapes. Although others can drive people to suicide, if a person in contemplating suicide to begin with, there isn't much people around them can do to change their minds.

7. There are too many graphic scenes.

I don't think the show needed to actually show three brutal rapes. I'm pretty sure that is going too far. In my personal opinion, I can't believe Netflix actually ran the series because of the abundance of graphic scenes. I mean I'm all about bringing awareness to controversial subjects people don't like to talk about, but there is a right and wrong way of doing it. 13 Reasons Why chose the wrong way.

8. It shows many triggers but no solutions to them.

The show dives into many, many uncomfortable situations, that yes people should be aware of, but no one ever seems to explain how to cope with these problems. As mentioned in #3, the show basically says that to cope with high school problems, you should commit suicide. That's not the case. That is never the solution. There are many resources to contact about thoughts of suicide, potential school shooters, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and rape. I will have these numbers listed at the bottom of this article because I have the decency to discuss uncomfortable matters and explain what to do next, unlike the show.

9. The show has taken over our generation.

Everyone in this generation has heard the story of Hannah Baker. I watched the series and felt fear for others' safety. I fear that a life will be lost because of this show. I know it was televised to raise awareness about suicide and other controversial matters but it only creates a drama about it, making people idolize it. I know that as I watched the show I enjoyed it at first because every episode left you on a cliffhanger wanting to see what happens next. Once I looked back on the series and actually thought about it, I became scared for our future. How many adolescents will watch the show and contemplate suicide more and make 13 tapes regarding the suicide? Suicide isn't a joke, and it needs to be taken seriously. It should not be dramatized and fantasized. This is real life and if you are contemplating suicide at all please call the suicide hotline for help. You are not alone.

10. Hannah made the people she loves the most fall apart.

Clay has basically been torn apart from the start of tape #1: side A. Throughout the entire series, Clay is slowly falling apart. I'm actually not too sure what they will have Clay doing next.

11. No one seems to care about Clay's growing mental illness.

The parents of Clay seem to take an interest of how he is doing, but no one seems to care. His teachers and counselors don't notice and try to help. This isn't true. The show is portraying this in a bad way.

12. This show created a spike in the suicide contagion and self-harm.

After the first season was televised Google saw a spike in searches relating to suicide like, "How to commit suicide." One school district reported a spike in self-harm and at least one copycat death. This all took place shortly after the show was released. I can only imagine the things that could happen once people watch season 2.

13. Season 2's finale went too far.

I don't care who you are, no one can justify what happened in season 2's finale. The show went too far on this one. Not only are they showing a brutal sexual assault that is far more graphic then ever seen before in the show, it also ends in a planned school shooting. Overall 13 Reasons Why really screwed this one up for themselves. This was my breaking point. I used to watch this show and I was actually starting season 2 until I saw a short video clip on facebook of this scene. Once I saw this I quit watching the show and basically told all of my friends who I knew watched it what the show was portraying and 95% of them stopped watching the show for this exact reason. The idea of this brutal sexual assault was bad enough but to actually show the graphic images behind it was too much for all viewers.

This is my conclusion to this list. The show takes things too far and publicizes and idolizes terrible things that can occur in high school. Yes I do agree that some of these things can happen in high school, but this show DOES NOT share information of how to deal with these situations and how to get them to stop. Their solution is suicide, and that is NOT the answer, ever.

If you or someone you know is dealing with depression or thoughts of suicide please dial the suicide hotline. 1-800-273-8255

If you or someone you know has been victim to sexual harassment or sexual assault, please get help or call 1-800-656-4673.

If you or someone you know has been victim to domestic abuse, please call 1-800-799-7233.

Please if you notice signs of someone that you believe is contemplating bringing a gun to school, please contact a trusted teacher, guidance counselor, or school principal to share this information. We need to put a stop to school shootings.