Okay, I wasn’t going to do this, but with the obvious divide, I continue to read on my various social timelines I felt that my unsolicited opinion might be of some use.

Warning: Spoilers, obviously.

I watched the newest Netflix series everyone appears to be either obsessed with or upset with, "13 Reasons Why". I’m not ashamed to admit that I am 25 years old and a bit too excited to see that one of my favorite books as a teen was finally being brought to the screen. I thought a movie would have sufficed, but when I found out that 10 years after ugly-crying through the book (titled with the same name), I would get the pleasure to binge watch 13 episodes of ugly-cry-worthy teen drama.

I was instantly obsessed with that book because of how believable the plot was and how well written Jay Asher portrayed the storyline of his debut novel. I read the book many times throughout the last few years of high school, and into college. I acquired some new perspectives each time I re-read "13 Reasons Why" and most likely would find even more 10 years later.

Just as obsessively as I read through the book, I feverishly watched the series in record time.

Personally, I think the series did a great job portraying the characters as I had imagined them. Producers (one of which being actress, singer and mental health advocate, Selena Gomez) stuck to the original story but successfully added their own creative twists so that the story felt new to me, despite knowing the details.

It appears that many people also agreed about how tragically great and well done the series was. However, there seems to be about the same amount of critics who felt less-than-impressed with the portrayal of a very difficult and painful topic that continues to be relevant amongst teens and young adults struggling with mental illness and suicidal ideation.

Whereas I completely understand the hesitation to praise a show that contains heavy, all-too-real subject matter, I feel like the reasoning behind most of the criticism for "13 Reasons Why" is misleading. Many critics have shared that they think the series “romanticized” suicide and mental illness, or that the show ignored the topic of mental illness completely. I also have seen the argument made that Hannah was just as terrible of a bully to blame these other kids for her choice to commit suicide.

I cannot exactly disagree with these points, but I think many of the offended critics misunderstood the messages. Pay more attention to why you are offended and really look at why you are angry about this portrayal of teen suicide and depression. Hint: it has nothing to do with “unrealistic” plot lines and characters; in fact, those upset with this series might even be a grossly realistic example of how our culture and society still views mental illness.

Less than a day after "13 Reasons'..." release, I already started to see the popularity-fire spread through the social media forests. Fans and curious bystanders got out their marshmallows and roasting sticks, mesmerized by the flames; the critics and the offended worked tirelessly to put the fire out before it gained any more momentum. I’m not saying either of those views is wrong because just like the approach to understand mental illness, there are too many complex layers to peel back to find a clear answer.

In an article by Mike Hale for The New York Times, we get a taste of the critical perspective from someone who didn’t seem to enjoy the show as much as others did.

Hale’s review expresses some annoyance with the differences between book and television, and typically I would agree with that opinion (since I firmly believe books are better than their screen adaptations), except I really think that the differences were necessary to get the same reaction from viewers as Asher received from readers.

If the show had taken place within the original timeframe of one night, I don’t think we would get to see just how much of an impact Hannah’s death had on her peers. Also, seeing how Hannah’s suicide plays out from a more public perspective is the side many audiences would benefit from seeing.

Another point Hale makes is the fact that the show is saturated with “melodrama”. I mean, yes the show is dramatic, but what portrayal of depression, bullying, ostracizing, sexual assault, victim blaming and suicide is going to be anything less than dramatic? Just because these are 16-year-old, high school students doesn’t mean we should just shrug and say, “teens, am I right?”

In fact, pushing aside the real feelings of young adults, and chalking them up to typical-teen-melodrama is dangerous. Maybe the scenarios Hannah is narrating and Clay is involved in are not typical teen things to ignore because the truth is: suicide, especially in teenagers, is not typical behavior. These are special circumstances that had an impact on our fictional-yet-believable Hannah Baker, so much that she felt her only solution and relief from the trials and tribulations of life was to end it all.

Who is to say that there is a specific set of events that dictate the level of trauma felt?

At the end of Hannah’s life we see that, in addition to how she was treated by her peers, Hannah’s parents are having serious financial struggles that are weighing down on their daughter. Hannah blames herself for losing friends, for the constant disappointment from people she thought she could trust, for being used and abused by the guys she thought she liked and for believing she was a financial burden on her parents.

The argument that the issue of suicide was romanticized and wrongly conveyed the idea that blame can be placed on something is again understandable. However, we cannot forget that the tapes are giving us Hannah’s point of view.

In her mind, she did have clear reasons to blame her peers.

In Hannah’s mind, she is in control of her situation, and it seems she can leave behind an explanation worth paying attention to, although too late.

The way the entire show is set up is to get inside the mind and thought process of a teenager most likely experiencing severe depression, and feeling desperate. The graphic depiction of sexual violence and the actual act of Hannah killing herself is crucial to getting a sense of understanding what bullying and undiagnosed mental illness may look like in one person, and to take it seriously.

No two cases of mental illness are exactly like the other.

Was Hannah’s suicide justifiable?

Well, to some people: maybe; to others: absolutely not.

We need to understand that our opinions of how a person should react to an event and how a person shouldact when experiencing suicidal ideation and other mental illnesses are not up to our personal interpretations and criticisms.

What it comes down to is that Hannah was going through so much, and her feelings and actions lead to her own justification, which is exactly why we should see the all-too-real images depicted in "13 Reasons Why". Within reason.

People feel what they feel, and just because those feelings are too painful to acknowledge to some people or don’t follow the DSM: V criteria, precisely, means nothing to the person experiencing the emotions.

Educating others on the signs of suicidal ideation is essential to becoming more aware of the infinite ways mental illness can manifest and outwardly appear.

Don’t mistake my obvious praise for "13 Reasons Why"as my idea of the perfect depiction of your textbook case of depression and suicide. I’m saying it was a very real depiction of how one person felt in their last moments; of how Hannah Baker viewed herself through the eyes of others based on how they treated her, how she dealt with the emotional pain and how intense the aftermath can be to an entire community.