So back in high school, I read the book 13 Reasons Why. I loved the book. I thought it was such an interesting story, around why a girl in high school chose to commit suicide. Mind you, I never contemplated suicide. Now there is a series of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, so I decided to watch it. They have made some changes and updated some of the social media and high school social events, which I don’t mind. But one thing that I don’t really remember is Hannah outright blaming the other students. It would be so hard if I had lost someone to suicide and then to read this book or see this show depicting that it’s everyone else’s fault for someone committing suicide. Of course it is better to be a nice person to people and to not believe everything you hear. However, you can’t control other people. Suicide and depression have such an impact on a person, so I’m not blaming those who commit suicide either. I just would not want people to think it was their fault for a friend committing suicide. It makes me sad, and maybe even a little angry to see the show depicting that it is other people’s fault. I can’t quite remember all the details of the end, so I hope it gives some different perspectives. I also worry that this show/book may lead to contagion in suicide among teens.
But if you are someone reading this who has been affected by suicide, I hope you know that you are not to blame. And for those who have suicidal ideation or homicidal ideation, I hope you can reach out to someone in a real way to get some help. When it is dark and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, I hope you fight to get to that better day. It’s never going to be easy, but that does come no matter how many times you get stuck in those dark places.
-Kayla ❤
Our Little Bits of Happiness 