The American River Current

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  • J

    JanetAug 21, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    Thank you for this! You’ve said so many of the things I have said while this much talked about series was being viewed by almost everyone in the 11-18 age group. The suicide scene was especially devastating to watch. I’m nearing my 5th decade in life, and I’ve struggled with the same feelings of depression & not “fitting in” like everyone else. I’m also a double Psychology major, & I understand what’s happening in the brain of someone who’s sufferring from mental illness. While watching her give a virtual how-to lesson on committing suicide (I would have never known to do it that way!), I kept wondering how many kids were watching, taking notes for later.

    I agree that they should have offered some solutions. At the very least, let us all know that it didn’t have to end that way. The characters were shallow, yet complex, at the same time. But, they could have figured out a way to help them come to a conclusion that would have involved everyone in helping to save her, as opposed to blaming them for what was ultimately her decision.

    I don’t like that they didn’t give any education on mental illness or even mentnion it. We can see that Hannah was depressed. And, like you mentioned- she may have been sufferring from PTSD. But, she could also have had BiPolar disorder, based on her behavior of emotional explotions and pushing away the people she seemed to need the most. Instead, it seemed like an education on how to perfectly end one’s life and blame it on everyone else. It gave a way to justify the horrible thoughts that lead one down the road of depression & allow them to give in to the suicidal ideation. It most definitely glorrified the horrificness with none of the resolve. That’s a shame, considering the hype. Had the millions of people who watched it & identified with Hannah’s desperation been shown that it’s “normal” to have those feelings & been given a way to find help, perhaps the show would have been worth the time. Unfortunately, they completely missed the boat. Because it affected me the way it did (and I can understand the complexity of it all), I would recommend that parents don’t allow their kids to watch this, either.

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