Was the depiction of Hannah Baker's graphic suicide scene in 13 Reasons Why necessary?

13 Reasons Why is the next big Netflix show to really take off, based off of Jay Asher’s young adult novelof the same name, detailing the aftermath of a High-School girl called Hannah Baker’s suicide as a close friend of hers is given thirteen cassette tapes made by her that explain exactly what, and who, drove her to take her own life.

Hannah is played by Katherine Langford, and the narrator of the story, and recipient of Hannah’s video tapes called Clay is played by Dylan Minnette with both actors receiving praise for their performances. The show itself has also received critical acclaim, with a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and critics citing the mature approach to the dark subject matter, strong visuals and direction and the aforementioned strong performances.

However one element of the show that had come under fire in recent weeks is its rather graphic and bloody denouement in which we see the beleaguered Hannah making the gut-wrenching decision to take her own life play out on screen in graphic detail as she cuts herself with a razor in a bath tub. It’s visceral, bloody and significantly unpleasant to watch.

This particular moment has been criticised by mental health organisations because the blunt graphic depiction of Hannah’s gory suicide is being labelled as glamourising suicide and has led to an alleged increase in calls to suicide hotlines which serves as evidence that the scene is acting as a trigger to vulnerable depressed people who are tuning in to the Netflix show.

Now, when II first watched the scene, I didn’t think that it was particularly glamorised or exploitative, we see Hannah crying out in pain as she cuts herself, we see the very real and gory spurts of blood and we see the aftermath with her heart-broken parents finding her in the overflowing bath-tub. It’s an emotionally turbulent and affecting moment. But I can see why showing something that it so graphically can be seen as taking unnecessary risks.

This is especially the case when you consider the source material, in the novel Hannah Baker’s suicide is not depicted in the book other than through Clay’s narration informing readers that Hannah had overdosed on some pills. So, the television show made the decision to not only focus on Hannah’s death by showing the audience the entire scene, but to change the method of suicide, clearly a decision that some feel was ill-advised.

But show writer Nick Sheff has defended the decision and has told news organisations that there was a very deliberate reason for the change, and for showing it so graphically. He says “It overwhelmingly seems to me that the most irresponsible thing we could’ve done would have been not to show the death at all, In AA, they call it playing the tape: encouraging alcoholics to really think through in detail the exact sequence of events that will occur after relapse. It’s the same thing with suicide. To play the tape through is to see the ultimate reality that suicide is not a relief at all — it’s a screaming, agonizing horror.”

Whilst that might make sense, the show as a whole has received criticism for its common-sense approach to suicide, there are fears that by having Hannah list a linear number of reasons why she’s going to kill herself, not only trivialises and simplifies suicide, but makes it come across as if Hannah is getting some sort of revenge or having the last laugh,

What do you readers think? Is 13 Reasons Why a good show that has handled its delicate subject matter well, or has It missed the mark and could potentially do more harm than good?

If you have been affected by the events in this show, or are suffering with depression and/or suicidal thoughts then there is help out there! Please call the Samaritans on 116 123