Editorial: One Reason Why Not

Abstract

After declining modestly from 1999 to 2007, death rates from suicide in adolescents increased 56% from 2007 to 2016.¹ Suicide continues to be the second leading cause of death in this age group. Risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behavior in adolescents are not altogether different from those in adulthood, with potent risk factors including depression, a history of abuse, and, of course, prior suicidal ideation.² One risk factor to which youth may be more susceptible than adults is media reports of suicide, including fictional stories. This effect whereby vulnerable youths imitate the suicidal behavior of celebrities, other youths, or fictional characters has referred to as "suicide contagion" or "copycat suicide." The study "Association Between the Release of Netflix's 13 Reasons Why and Suicide Rates in the United States: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis" in this issue tests whether this effect was observed in response to the release of the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.³.