“13 Reasons Why”: social blog posts about the book and series related to suicidal behavior among young individuals

Objective: This study reviewed topics related to the TV series and the book “13 Reasons Why” in blog posts written in Portuguese. Method: Qualitative study conducted on the Tumblr platform. By searching for the expression “13 porquês”, all text posts in Portuguese were selected and submitted to Thematic Review. Results: The main topics related to the series and book “13 Reasons Why” in blog posts were represented by the categories “Identification with the main character and with the other characters in the series”, “To be or not to be a why” and “Suicide prevention”. The piece had varied and ambiguous repercussion. It provided visibility and reflection on suicide prevention and the importance of healthy interpersonal relations, but also favored the identification with suicide behavior, distorted views of suicide and feelings of guilt. Conclusion: Artistic works can spark interest for the “suicide” topic, but need to be followed with a careful action guided by prevention specialist professionals.