Netflix Alters Graphic Suicide Scene From ‘13 Reasons Why’

13 Reasons Why premiered on Netflix in 2017.

A still from 13 Reasons Why.

(Photo Courtesy: Pinterest)

Its been over two years that a graphic suicide scene in 13 Reasons Why stirred a huge controversy. Now, Netflix has finally edited the scene.

“Many youngsters have come up and said that 13 Reasons Why helped them open up conversations about depression and suicide, and even prompted them to seek help. As we are preparing to drop Season 3, we have given a thought about the controversy surrounding the show. Thus, taking advice from medical experts, including Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, we've decided with creator Brian Yorkey and the producers to edit the long scene that shows the protagonist Hannah take her life”, Netflix said in a statement.

The nearly three-minute-long scene aired midway through the Season 1 finale. It showed a depressed Hannah aka Katherine Langford sitting in a bathtub with a razor in her hand. The camera halts while she slashes her wrist, shrieking in pain as blood fills the tub. Not long after, Hannah's mother (Kate Walsh) discovers her daughter's lifeless body in the blood-filled tub. Despite there being a warning that the scene contained “graphic depictions of violence and suicide”, there was a lot of outrage given the shock value of the sequence.

The new sequence, that has already been updated, shows Hannah looking at herself in the mirror. The scene then cuts to her parents’ reaction. Sources say that Netflix will also monitor and issue take-downs for any pirated clips that feature the unedited scene.

“13 Reasons Why was an effort to help young viewers feel seen and heard, and encourage empathy in all those who viewed it. Our intention was to portray the ugly, painful reality of suicide in such graphic detail in Season 1 that it would make sure no one would ever wish to emulate it. However we have heard concerns from Dr. Christine Moutier at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and others, and have agreed with Netflix to re-edit it. We believe that this alteration will help the show do the most good while mitigating any risk for especially vulnerable young viewers”, Brian Yorkey said in a statement.

The move has drawn support from the American Association of Suicidology, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the American School Counselor Association, Dr. Helen Hsu of Stanford University, advocacy group Mental Health America, the Trevor Project and Dr. Rebecca Hedrick of Cedars-Sinai.