In society, many issues are often ignored and stigmatized. These include suicide and mental health problems. In recent years it has become more common to talk about these dilemmas; however, society as a whole still has a long way to go to understand these complicated events. For this reason, it surprises many that suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 24 (Pytash). In the popular young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why, a girl named Hannah Baker leaves behind thirteen audio tapes before committing suicide, with each tape addressed to a specific person and explaining how that individual played a role in her death. The book mainly focuses on why she took her own life, and some of the main reasons are bullying, harassment, and self-hatred. 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. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher brings many issues to light and guides the reader through the causes and effects of suicide. It exemplifies how seemingly 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, but extremely underestimated. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The cause of suicide is often unclear and questionable. It is a tragic event that leaves friends, family and the community in shock and disbelief. The definitive answer to the question “why” may never be answered, however, there are many known factors based on research that could cause one to contemplate suicide. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, the main contributing factors in general terms are depression, conflict with parents, relationship problems and substance abuse (Sinyor). In the novel, Hannah Baker was molested by a "voyeur" named Tyler Down. She suspected that he was spying on her bedroom and organized an elaborate plan to capture him (Asher 59). This clear invasion of privacy left Hannah feeling as if her only safe haven had been violated beyond her control. Tyler's perverted actions started Hannah's trend of feelings of objectification, which was ultimately a factor in her taking her own life. It most likely never occurred to him that his harassment would lead to his death. Although Hannah speaks out against harassment in the tapes, the spread of this story actually led to humiliation and bullying for Tyler and many others mentioned in the tapes. Whether or not this was justified depends on the reader and their moral compass. A major cause of suicide in both real life and fiction is inaction. It is a very difficult event to monitor, but very deadly. Many people, such as friends, family, teachers and other adults, are unsure how to spot the signs that someone is at risk. Because it is often very difficult for a suicidal person to ask for help, people in positions of authority need to pay attention to warning signs. In the last tape, it is revealed that Hannah has been trying to contact her guidance counselor and English teacher, Mr. Porter. He recorded audio of their entire conversation to include on the tapes and stated, “The only thing standing between you and this collection of audio recordings is: Mr. Porter” (Asher 143). During the recorded conversation, Hannah was extremely vague. He often implied that he hadsuicidal intentions, but Mr. Porter missed them. He told her that letting go of the things that hurt her in the past might be her best option, which wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted someone to give her sound advice on how to overcome the pain. He let her leave the room when she showed worrying signs of self-loathing, which was a huge mistake (Asher 151). This single conversation made Hannah feel like there was no way out of her struggles, and that no one cared. Obviously this was far from the truth, but in his state of mind it was accurate. This happens frequently in the real world too. In a study included in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, it was found that when pre-service teachers read Thirteen Reasons Why, “they recognized how the adults in the story did not support the teenage characters; this awareness provided almost “trial and error” as PSTs considered how they might react in similar situations” (Potash). Learning from the mistakes made by the characters in Asher's novel is essential to saving the lives of students in difficulty in the future. Another important factor that often pushes young people to consider suicide is mental illness, particularly depression. Depression does not always lead to suicide, but it increases the risk. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, depression is the leading risk factor in adolescents. In their study, 38 of 74 youth suicide deaths were attributed to depression (Sinyor). These statistics are exemplified by the tragic case of Madison Holleran. Madison was a beautiful and intelligent 19-year-old Ivy League track star who committed suicide at the University of Pennsylvania in 2014. Although everything seemed to be going well in her life, she battled depression due to the pressure that she practiced on herself to be perfect. . In an ESPN article about her story, it was stated that: Madison was beautiful, talented, successful - almost the epitome of what every young girl should hope to become. But she was also a perfectionist who struggled when she misbehaved. She was a deep thinker, a person aware of the image she presented to the world, and a person who often struggled with what that image conveyed of her, with how people superficially read who she was, what her life was like ( Fagan). The difficulties Madison faced are similar to what Hannah felt. Many people believed that because she was beautiful and seemed to live a good lifestyle, she had no problems. Even though Madison asked for help and started seeing a therapist, it wasn't enough. When Hannah turned to her school counselor, she still felt helpless. This hopelessness and depression is a major cause of suicide. Suicide often leaves people in shock and disbelief and can have long-term effects on those left behind. There is often confusion, as people wonder why things happened the way they did. We often wonder if something could have been done to avoid this tragic event. For this reason, guilt is a very common effect of suicide. In the novel, the guilt that some of the people on the tapes felt after Hannah's death continued to haunt them. This is expected to affect them greatly in the future. As Tony, the boy in charge of circulating the tapes, declared to Clay, “We're all guilty, at least a little” (Asher 124). Hannah placed this guilt on them on purpose because she wanted them to feel responsible for her death and not make the same mistakes again. According to the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy study of in-service teachers andyoung adult novels, “…reasons for reading Thirteen Reasons Why…were based on previous life experiences; they were looking for answers. Of the 22 PSTs, 10 knew a friend or classmate who committed suicide; one student said a friend's father committed suicide. The PSTs hoped that through reading they would begin to understand why people they knew chose to commit suicide. Corinne said, “I wanted to understand his thoughts better.” Similarly, Shayla, whose high school classmate committed suicide, said, 'I have often wondered why and what drove him to commit suicide'” (Pytash). Based on these statements alone, it is inferred that people who knew someone who committed suicide are very likely to carry the guilt with them for the rest of their lives. They will wonder why the person did it and if there was anything they could have done to stop them. This can lead to other serious problems down the road. Traumatic events have the ability to change the way people think and act. Hannah Baker's suicide made some people reconsider every interaction they had with her and be kinder to other people. This is especially evident in the case of Clay Jensen. He wanted to meet Hannah, but rumors spreading about her dissuaded him from doing so (Asher 15). After her suicide, he regrets not contacting her. Soon after, the way he interacts with people changes. When he notices his middle school crush in the hallway, instead of ignoring her like he usually does, he recognizes her. He says: “But Skye is walking down the same stretch of corridor where I saw Hannah walking away two weeks ago. That day, Hannah disappeared into a crowd of students, allowing the tapes to say goodbye to her. But I can still hear Skye Miller's footsteps, which seem fainter and fainter as she walks away. And I start walking, towards her. Two steps behind her, I say her name. (Asher 156). Clay would never have done this in the past, which is a clear indicator that Hannah's suicide has changed him. He is now more empathetic towards the difficulties of others and can sense when someone needs a friend. These are all the effects of the traumatic incident he suffered through the tapes. Unlike Clay, some people who receive the tapes are not affected by them. They feel no guilt or remorse and do not make any major changes to their lives. This reaction is best exemplified by the character Marcus Cooley. Marcus is included in the tapes because he tried to take advantage of Hannah during their first date (Asher 75). This caused Hannah to start doubting her decision-making abilities and really accelerated her downward spiral. When he meets Clay at Tyler Down's house after listening to the tapes, he states that he feels no pain over Hannah's death. In response to Clay asking him what he thinks, he says, “Nothing. It's ridiculous, I'm not part of those tapes. Hannah just wanted an excuse to commit suicide” (Asher 110). These harsh and uncalled for statements reveal that sometimes people don't feel guilty. Maybe this is a coping mechanism for people who, deep down, know they've done something wrong. No matter what, some people are so unpleasant that they will never see the error of their ways. This causes the vicious cycle of harassment to continue. People can have opposite reactions to the same situation, which can lead to two totally different outcomes. There is one cause of teenage suicide that stands out from the others. Above all, it is the most preventable. This cause is bullying. Each year, approximately 3.2 million children in grades 6-10 experience bullying, and even more cases go unreported (Pytash). There are two different onestypes of bullying: direct and indirect. In the novel, Hannah Baker refers to how she was bullied by a group of boys when an inappropriate list including her name was circulated at school. This is classified as direct bullying. It all started when Alex Standall created a list of "hot or not" guys and included his name on it (Asher 19). This led Hannah to jealousy, sexual harassment and bullying. As a result, his self-esteem and self-esteem gradually decreased. This is a perfect example of how a “prank” can spiral out of control. In a study conducted by psychiatrists in Toronto, it was found that bullying was the only cause of suicide in 6.4% of cases (Sinyor). While it may seem like a small percentage, it shows the profound impact that bullying can have on mental health. The next type of bullying is indirect bullying. It is often less obvious than direct bullying. For example, in Thirteen Reasons Why, Hannah is often left out and used to benefit others. This is difficult to recognize from the outside, but has harmful effects on the targeted person. After reading the novel, the in-service teachers realized that "It's bullying when Courtney Crimson uses Hannah for a ride to the party and then spreads rumors about her" (Pytash). Another example of indirect bullying is when Zach Dempsey steals Hannah's kind notes. In the peer communication lesson tape, she responded by saying, “It may not seem like a big deal to you, Zach, but now I hope you understood that I needed of hope offered,” (Asher 87). His actions made Hannah feel completely worthless and even more attacked. Just as in this situation, bullying is often a subtle action, not necessarily a physical altercation. Bullying can have a profound effect on young people. especially if they already have other stressors in their life. Hannah has struggled with many stressors in addition to bullying, which is very similar to what many teenagers face in real life. According to the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, “vulnerability to stress and Stressors mix together to create a 'risk factor' in young people that makes them susceptible to depression and suicidal thoughts,” (Breton). The additional stress resulting from bullying can certainly push people considered “at risk” over the edge. This is what happened to Hannah; she only began to see herself as worthless after others treated her that way. No matter how many people tried to support her, her thoughts always returned to those who didn't. Thirteen Reasons Why has certainly had a colossal effect on the way young people and adults think about suicide. Being told a story from such a personal perspective definitely hit home for a lot of people. A review of the novel by Kristine Pytash certainly confirms this statement. Pytash, assistant professor of psychology at Kent University, believes that talking about these sensitive topics through literature is the best way to start a difficult discussion. She states, “Young adult literature that focuses on issues considered sensitive, taboo, or provocative, such as bullying and suicide, can offer powerful reading experiences; however, we need to give readers a safe time and place to talk about these issues. Readers will need opportunities to express their experiences with texts and how these experiences influence their current understanding of the text. These conversations can happen through literary circles or voluntary book clubs” (Pytash). Asher's depiction of teenagers dealing with personal problems has become a tool for people, especially adults, to learn how to prevent and. 22 2015.