Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Suicides In Kids Jumped In The Months Following Debut Of '13 Reasons Why,' Study Finds
Suicides among U.S. kids aged 10 to 17 jumped to a 19-year high in the month following the release of a popular TV series that depicted a girl ending her life, researchers said. The study published Monday can't prove that the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" was the cause, but there were 195 more youth suicides than would have been expected in the nine months following the show's March 2017 release, given historical and seasonal suicide trends, the study estimated. (4/29)
鈥淪uicide is a problem worldwide, and it鈥檚 so hard to knock these rates down,鈥 said Lisa M. Horowitz, a staff scientist in the National Institute of Mental Health鈥檚 Intramural Research Program, and an author of the paper. 鈥淭he last thing we need is something that increases them.鈥 In a statement, a Netflix spokesperson said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e just seen this study and are looking into the research, which conflicts with last week鈥檚 study from the University of Pennsylvania,鈥 which focused on young adults. 鈥淭his is a critically important topic and we have worked hard to ensure that we handle this sensitive issue responsibly.鈥 (Carey, 4/29)
In the month following the show's debut in March 2017, there was a 28.9% increase in suicide among Americans aged 10-17, said the study, published Monday in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The number of suicides was greater than that seen in any single month over the five-year period researchers examined. (Schwartz, 4/30)