The Causes And Effects Of Suicide In 13 Reasons Why

In society, many problems are often ignored and stigmatized. This is the start of suicide and mental health issues. These dilemmas have become more common recent years; however, society as a whole still has a distant to go with understanding these complicated occurrences. Because of this suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 10-24. Thirteen reasons Why, adapted from the novel by Jay Asher, tells the story of a teenage girl by the name of Hannah Baker who takes her own life. No one saw the signs Hannah portrayed, which lead to suicide; leaving behind thirteen audio tapes, with each tape addressed to a specific person and explaining how that individual played a role in her death. The book focuses heavily on why she took her own life, with some of the main reasons being bullying, harassment, and self-hate. It also shows how people are affected by suicide, through the point of view of a boy named Clay Jensen, who had a crush on Hannah and received a tape. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher brings many issues to light and guides the reader through the causes and effects of suicide. It exemplifies how harmless situations can spiral out of control and lead to someone’s death. All of these issues are extremely relevant and common in today’s society.

The cause of suicide is often unclear, it is a tragic event that leaves friends, family, and the community in shock and disbelief. The definite answer to the question of “why” may never be answered, however, there are many factors based on research that could cause one to contemplate suicide. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, the leading contributing factors in general terms are depression, conflict with parents, relationship problems, and substance abuse. In the novel, Hannah Baker was harassed by a “peeping Tom” named Tyler Down. She suspected that he was spying on her bedroom, and set up an elaborate plan to catch him.This clear invasion of privacy made Hannah feel as if her one safety was violated beyond her control. Tyler’s perverted actions created the ultimate factor in her taking her own life. It never occurred to Tyler that his harassment would lead to her death. Although she touches bases about being harassed on the tapes, word of mouth spread by the listeners of her story led to humiliation and bullying for Tyler and many others who are one mentioned on the tapes.

A major cause of suicide both in reality and in the novel it seems very surreal but is very deadly. Many people, such as friends, family members, teachers, others aren’t s intact with Noticing the signs of an at-risk person. Often it is a challenge for a suicidal person to reach out for help, people in authority must be coherent for warning signs. On the last cassette tape, it is revealed that Hannah tried to reach out to her guidance counselor Mr. Porter. She recorded the audio of their conversation to include in the tapes, and stated, “The only thing standing between you and this collection of audiotapes is: Mr. Porter”. During their taped conversation, Hannah was extremely vulnerable. She often dropped hints that she was suicidal, but Mr. Porter did not pick up on them. He told her that moving on from things that hurt her in the past may be her best option, which quite frankly wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She wanted someone to give her viable advice on how to overcome pain and someone to comfort her on her time of need.. But instead he lets her leave the room when it was shown signs of suicide.

This conversation made Hannah feel as if there was no other hope, and that no one cared. This was far from the truth, but in her state of mind, it was accurate and she was oblivious.. This happens often in the real world as well. In a study included in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, it was found that when teachers read Thirteen Reasons Why, they noticed how the adults in the story did not support the adolescent teens; this realization provided an ‘trial-error experimentation’ when considered how they might react in similar situations. Learning from the mistakes made by characters in Asher’s novel is critical to saving the life of struggling student or any person in the future.

Another major factor that often causes teens and others to consider suicide is mental illness such as depression. Depression does not always lead to suicide, but it highly increases the risk. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, depression is the leading risk factor in adolescents. In their study, 38 out of 74 youth suicide deaths were attributed to depression.

Suicide not only hurts the person at risk but it can also have long term effects on the people left who get left behind. Confusion rises as people wonder why things happened the way they did. It is often wondered if anything could have been done to prevent this tragic event. Because of this, guilt is a common effect of suicide. In the novel, the guilt that some victims of the tapes felt after Hannah’s death continued to torment them. It is foreshadowed that it will affect them heavily in the future. As Tony, the boy in charge of circulating the tapes, stated to Clay, “We’re all to blame, at least a little”. Hannah forced this guilt spin them purposely because she wanted them to feel responsible for her death and not make the same mistakes again. Based on this action it is inferred that people who knew someone who committed suicide are extremely likely to carry guilt for the remainder of their lives. They will wonder why the person did it and if there was anything they could’ve done to stop them. Traumatic events have the ability to change the way people think and act. Hannah Baker’s suicide caused some people to rethink every interaction they had with her, and be kinder to other people. This is apparent in the case of Clay Jensen. He wanted to get to know Hannah, but the rumors that were spread about her straying him from doing so, after her suicide, he regrets not reaching out to her. Soon after, he changes how he interacts with people. When he notices his middle school crush in the hallway, instead of ignoring her like he usually does, he acknowledges her. He says, “But Skye’s walking down the same stretch of hall where I watched Hannah slip away two weeks ago. On that day, Hannah disappeared into a crowd of students, allowing the tapes to say her goodbye. But I can still hear the footsteps of Skye Miller, sounding weaker and weaker the further she gets. And I start walking, toward her. Two steps behind her, I say her name.” Clay never would have done this in the past, which is a clear indicator that Hannah’s suicide changed him. He is now more empathetic towards others’ struggles, and can sense when someone needs a friend. These are all effects of the traumatic incident he endured through the tapes.

Yet some people who receive the tapes are not affected by them. They feel no guilt or remorse, and don’t make any major changes in their life. This is shown by the character Marcus Cooley. Marcus is included on the tapes because he tried to take advantage of Hannah during their first date. This caused Hannah to start doubting her decision making skills, and caused her downhill spiral. When he crosses paths with Clay at Tyler Down’s house after listening to the tapes, he states that he feels no sorrow for Hannah’s death. In response to Clay asking what he thinks, he says, “Nothing. It’s ridiculous, I don’t belong on those tapes. Hannah just wanted an excuse to kill herself”. These harsh and uncalled for statements reveal that sometimes, people feel no guilt. Some people will never see error of their ways. This allows the cycle of harassment to continue. This causes a sense of bullying. Approximately 3.2 million children in grades 6-10 get bullied annually, with even more cases going unreported. There are two different types of bullying: direct and indirect. In the novel, Hannah Baker references how she was bullied by a group of boys when an inappropriate list including her name was circulated around school. This is classified as direct bullying. It all started when Alex Standall created a “hot or not” type list and included her name on it.This led to jealousy, sexual harassment, and bullying for Hannah. Her self-confidence and self-worth decreased as a result. This is a example of how a “joke” can spiral out of control. In a study done by psychiatrists in Toronto, it was found that bullying was the only cause of suicide in 6.4% of their cases. Although this is a small percentage, it highlights the impact that bullying can have on one’s mental health. The next type of bullying is indirect. For example, in Thirteen Reasons Why, Hannah is often used for the benefit of others. After reading the novel, teachers realized that, 'It is bullying when Courtney Crimson used Hannah for a ride to the party and then spreads rumors about her,”. Another example of indirect bullying is when Zach Dempsey stole Hannah’s notes out of her Peer Communications class box. On the tapes, she responded to this by saying, “It might not seem like a big deal to you, Zach. But now, I hope you understand. I needed those notes. I needed any hope those notes might have offered,” (Asher 87). His actions made Hannah feel worthless and attacked.. Just like this situation, bullying is often a sly action, not necessarily a physical altercation. Bullying can have a effect on young people, especially if they already have other stressors in their life. Hannah struggled with many in addition to bullying, which is very similar to what many people deal with in real life. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, “vulnerability to stress and stress factors mix together to create a ‘risk factor’ in young people that leaves them susceptible to depression and suicidal thoughts”. The additional stress of being bullied can push people that are considered “at risk” over the edge. That is what happened to Hannah; she began to view herself as worthless after being treated in such way.

Thirteen Reasons Why created an impact on how young people and adults contemplate suicide. Although the issues mentioned are definitely hard to discuss and deal with, the novel Thirteen Reasons Why shows the major causes and effects of suicide. It shows how simple situations can lead to a drastic outcome. The matters discussed in the book are ones that our youth faces daily. Based on the book and research, the causes of suicide are versatile and include harassment, by family/friends/authorities, and depression. The effects also, and include guilt, lifestyle changes, and denial. The reasoning behind suicide and the aftermath are very different but can grow from the same place. Suicide, especially among teens, is an issue that will never be completely figured out. It is up to everyone to be aware of the warning signs and possible causes, to ensure that no one has to endure the effects.

In conclusion, Hannah's death was caused by various people, some could have prevented it, while others just continued to add to the reasons for her to make everything stop for herself. There is no one in specific to blame for why she killed herself; everyone had some part in it. From the people who were in little problems such as Justin Foley, her first kiss, to Bryce Walker, the first one she let touch her in a sexual way. Each person is connected and each of Hannah's issue's connected in some way. The main point of this book and of this essay though, is to show that little things, words and actions, can impact one person more than it appears it can.