13 Reasons Why 'copycat' left tapes to people blamed for his suicide
WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: A 23-year-old man in Peru has taken his own life and left behind recordings allegedly inspired by the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.
According to the Peruvian news outlet Diario Clarín, Franco Alonso Lazo Medrano yelled "I can’t stand a heartbreak" right before taking his life.
Police found two suicide notes in Mr Medrano's home - one to a woman named Claudia and another listing names of people for whom he had recorded tapes, local media reported.
In the notes, he claimed these people were the ones who caused him to kill himself.
While neither of the notes directly referenced 13 Reasons Why, leaving behind tapes for people after suicide is the main plot point of the Netflix hit. It is not clear if the program inspired Mr Medrano’s death.
'''13 Reasons Why’ critics warn show could lead to ‘copy-cat’ suicides
''Mental health groups issue warning about popular Netflix drama '13 Reasons Why'
The controversial series, based on Jay Asher’s book originally published in 2007, follows the story of Hannah Baker.
The young woman sends the recordings to selected people explaining how their actions led her to kill herself.
Detractors of the show criticised this aspect specifically, as they believed it suggested that suicide was sometimes "justified”.
A Canadian school is even attempting to ban students from talking about the series, and mental health organisations say the show is dangerous to those who are already at risk.
This backlash is what caused Netflix to strengthen the trigger warnings before the episodes in an effort to stop vulnerable people from watching something that could be harmful to their mental health.
"There has been a tremendous amount of discussion about our series 13 Reasons Why," Netflix said in a statement to BuzzFeed.
"While many of our members find the show to be a valuable driver for starting important conversation with their families, we have also heard concern from those who feel the series should carry additional advisories.”
Currently the episodes that carry graphic content are identified as such and the series overall carries a MA 15+ rating in Australia.
"Moving forward, we will add an additional viewer warning card before the first episode as an extra precaution for those about to start the series and have also strengthened the messaging and resource language in the existing cards for episodes that contain graphic subject matter."
If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467, or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.
This story originally appeared on Refinery 29 and is republished here with permission.
