Netflix recommends website for people suffering from depression

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED 7:17 p.m.) — American video streaming service Netflix has recommended a website for people who are suffering from depression and looking for crisis resources. 

“If you or someone you know needs help finding crisis resources please visit http://13reasonswhy.info,” Netflix wrote on its Twitter account. 

An update on 13 Reasons Why

If you or someone you know needs help finding crisis resources please visit https://t.co/cNtjtuNG1p pic.twitter.com/SxGjbYpZF6

— Netflix US (@netflix) July 16, 2019

Netflix also announced that they will edit a controversial scene in “13 Reasons Why.”  

“We've heard from many young people that 13 Reasons Why encouraged them to start conversations about difficult issues like depression and suicide and get help -- often for the first time. As we prepare to launch Season 3 late this summer, we've been mindful about the ongoing debate around the show,” Netflix said. 

“So on the advice of medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, Chief Medical Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we've decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the production of 13 Reasons Why to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from Season 1,” it added. 

Last May, a study has found that suicides among US youths rose significantly in the months following the popular Netflix show's release. The latest paper, published in JAMA Psychiatry, estimated a 13 percent spike in suicides among 10- to 19-year-olds between April and June of 2017, with a higher proportion among females.

In a statement, "13 Reasons Why" creator Brian Yorkey says, “It was our hope, in making 13 Reasons Why into a television show, to tell a story that would help young viewers feel seen and heard, and encourage empathy in all who viewed it, much as the bestselling book did before us. Our creative intent in portraying the ugly, painful reality of suicide in such graphic detail in Season 1 was to tell the truth about the horror of such an act, and make sure no one would ever wish to emulate it. But as we ready to launch Season 3, we have heard concerns about the scene from Dr. Christine Moutier at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and others, and have agreed with Netflix to re-edit it. No one scene is more important than the life of the show, and its message that we must take better care of each other. We believe this edit will help the show do the most good for the most people while mitigating any risk for especially vulnerable young viewers.”

Meanwhile, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American Association of Suicidology, Trevor Project, Crisis Text Line, Mental Health America, American School Counselor Association, Dr. Ellen Wartella (Northwestern University), Dr. Helen Hsu (Stanford University) and Dr. Rebecca Hedrick (Cedars-Sinai) support the move to re-edit the scene.

“We support the decision to edit the scene in which Hannah takes her own life from 13 Reasons Why. There has been much debate about the series in the mental health community. But this positive change will ensure that 13 Reasons Why continues to encourage open conversation about mental health and suicide prevention - while also mitigating the risk for the most vulnerable teenage viewers," the experts say in a statement sent to Philstar.com.