When I first heard of this show, all I knew was that everyone was talking about it and multiple people had told me that it was a fantastic show and I needed to watch it. In the end, I watched it out of curiosity. I just wanted to know what everyone thought was so amazing. I knew nothing about the show when I started watching the first episode, I was just expecting to fall in love with it like everyone around me seemed to...but that didn't happen. I watched the first few episodes and wasn't really impressed, and once I got to the last episode, I honestly hated the show. I know a lot of people watched this show a while ago, but if you haven't watched it yet, here's why you shouldn't:

1. The main character blames others for her suicide.

This show really does not focus on the victim at all, it is more about the lives of those she blames for her actions. For those of you who don't know, this show is about a high school student named Hannah, who committed suicide. Shortly after her death, one of her friends receives a package with 13 cassette tapes that Hannah recorded before her death. These are the 13 reasons why she killed herself. Each of these 13 reasons is basically her blaming others for her suicide. While it is definitely important for everyone to be able to recognize the signs of someone contemplating suicide, this show portrays that if you don't see any signs and someone takes their own life, it's all your fault that they did it. It is your fault for not seeing it. Should we really be sending that message to people?

The show also makes it seem as if it's okay to commit suicide to get back at others. Hannah is shown as more of a teenager who wants revenge on the people who did bad things to her, instead of a teenager who has a mental illness and needs psychological help. Suicide should not be portrayed as revenge.

2. Even though Hannah is already dead, the show acts as if she is still there.

This show portrays the story as if even though Hannah is dead, she is still there basically saying screw you to anyone who ever did anything to her. She is still there having the last laugh as she tells everyone that they are the reasons why she did what she did. That is not realistic at all. That's not how death works. Once you're gone, you're gone. Suicide is a permanent decision and there is no turning back. This show portrays suicide in a way that is totally unrealistic and downright scary in my opinion.

3. This story got the real cause of suicide completely wrong.

This show implies that bullying, rumors, and assault are all direct causes of suicide when they are not. Yes, these things are risk factors that should be avoided, but they are not direct causes of why someone takes their own life. This show does not once mention anything along the lines of depression or mental illness which (according to suicide.org) is the number one cause of suicide. It should have been said that Hannah was mentally ill because she was. They showed tiny hints of mental illness, but they were just not clear enough about it, especially for those who don't know much about the topic itself.

4. They chose to show graphic scenes of sexual assault.

These scenes were extremely difficult to watch. At one point, I actually turned the show off because I didn't think I could handle it anymore. I wanted to finish it and to see what happened in the end, and I did... but it was not easy. I know that was the point. They didn't want it to be easy to watch because sexual assault should not be easy to watch. But that doesn't change the fact that it was still unnecessarily graphic and could be detrimental to someone who has been sexually assaulted in the past. Not to mention the fact that young teenagers watch this show. Yes, I know it was not intended for that audience, but when you put something on Netflix where there are no parental controls you can't assume that kids aren't watching.

5. The suicide was shown on screen and was unnecessarily graphic.

This is what made me hate this show. This scene was both horribly disturbing and gory to the average person watching it, and possibly deadly to someone who has ever contemplated suicide or is battling depression. Obviously, you can't just plant the idea of suicide in someone's head, but if someone is watching this show who is the same mental state as Hannah and relates to feeling the same way she is felt, I think it could potentially get them thinking about it. This show glorifies suicide in the end. It makes it look like this was her way out and there is absolutely nothing saying otherwise.

And honestly, the way they showed it on screen might as well have been a how-to guide for how to kill yourself. The show literally shows you how to do slit your wrists. Why would they graphically show people exactly how to do that? Why give people who are not in a good mental state ideas like this? In fact, according to most mental health experts, the act of suicide should not be depicted on television or movies in any way because it can be triggering to those who are suffering from mental illness and/or contemplating suicide. So basically, this one scene has the potential to possibly cause more suicides.

I also chose to read the book after I finished watching the show and there was one thing I found very interesting which also angered me at the same time. In the book, Hannah commits suicide by taking pills, while in the show we see her graphically slit her wrists and bleed to death. Not that taking pills is any better, it's not at all... but apparently it wasn't graphic enough for television. All I am saying is, the creators of this show went out of their way to make her suicide as gory and sickening as possible. It was all just completely unnecessary.

I don't stand behind this story at all. I will never watch this show or read this book again. Honestly, after finishing this article I am hoping to forget about it. But if you haven't watched the show yet and still want to know the story, I would strongly suggest reading the book instead of watching the show. The book tells the same story in much less graphic detail. I would never ever tell anyone to watch this show. Suicide awareness is important but I don't think this show is raising awareness as much as it is giving false information about what suicide is.

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE:

Call 1-800-273-8255

If you are thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7. It is free and confidential.