One Big Reason '13 Reasons Why' Is Failing Our Teens

There’s nothing easy about being a teen. From peer pressure to parental expectations to body shaming and insecurity, there are countless reasons why teens can get down, frustrated and even desperate at times. If it’s been a while since you’ve been a teen, this might seem like new ground to you. But many parents are getting a crash course in teendom thanks to the new Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” In the show, Hannah Baker is a 17-year-old high school student that completes suicide. She leaves behind recordings detailing the 13 reasons (which are actually people) responsible for her death. The show does an excellent job of portraying what today’s teens face, from bullying to alcohol and drug use to PTSD, rape, self-harm, LGBTQ issues, depression, fitting in with peers and, obviously, suicide. But overall, there’s one big reason why the series does teens – and their parents – a tremendous disservice. Teens who watch the show (and spoiler alert: it’s teens who are watching the show) are left with no hope or direction on where to go if they feel at risk for suicide. The fact that Hannah’s school counselor, teachers and even her loving parents were clueless about her suicide plans isn’t actually that unrealistic. I lived with my husband, Bill for years without understanding the depth of his depression and suicidal ideation. He bought into the stigma of mental illness, and denied that he had a problem with de...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news