13 Reasons Why : the series has spiked Internet searches on suicide

Beth Dubber/AP/SIPA

Published the 01.08.2017 at 17: 00

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Some series are at the origin of phenomena such as we see shortly. This is the case of 13 Reasons Why. Upon its release, the program has attracted millions of viewers. It must be said that the story has something to mystify. The heroine, Hannah Baker, is conspicuous by his absence… She committed suicide as soon as the first episode.

The suite is also unconventional. The girl has sent 7 audio cassettes to classmates or friends. In it, she explains the 13 reasons for his gesture. A dark theme that has federated adolescents. And give a boost to research Internet, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A pic of consultations

Between the first broadcast of the series and the 18th of April last, the number of queries on Google rose by 19 % compared to the curves in the usual manner. “There were 900 000 to 1.5 million queries on the suicide more than expected in the 19 days following the start-line “, figure Mark Dredze, who participated in the work.

The researchers, working at the State university of San Diego (United States), have stopped the cursor at that date for a reason : a star of american football has put an end to his days, which could disturb the analyses.

The american series has so clearly marked the spirit of the young people who watched. And it is she who is the origin of this peak. The scientists conducted the comparison with a projection of what would have occurred if the program had never been released. “This strategy allowed us to isolate the effect of the series on the public who looked at her and the thoughts of suicide,” says Benjamin Althouse, co-author of the study.