Cause for a moment, that show took me to a really dark place. And as a post-Hannah Baker world played out across my screen, it made me consider what the world would look like without me in it. What I'm indirectly saying is; that show made me think about killing myself.

Psychiatrists and mental health professionals declare 13 Reasons Why is too intensely graphic, claiming it glorifies suicide and may cause those who are depressed or mentally ill to consider suicide. Hi! Mentally ill person here chiming in! And perhaps. But I can say there's nothing glorious about it. My father attempted suicide twice so I'm no stranger to what reverberations an action like that has on the people around you; I didn't need Netflix to put that in perspective.

So in some ways, the reports and OpEds about the show glorifying suicide are 100% correct, and any person who struggles with mental illness who says their mind didn't wander while watching this show is probably lying. My mind went to a very dark place just like Hannah's; I reflected on the things I've seen, the painful experiences I've had, the ugly things people have said and done. And I thought about the world without me in it. But instead of hiding or feeling ashamed about where our minds go when we're depressed and down, I think it's a something we need to acknowledge, no matter how dismal.

The mind is a vastly abstract organ, and one of the most difficult challenges I've discovered in my journey to mental health is allowing thoughts, both positive and negative to come and go without judgement*. I think acknowledging thoughts like these is a key part of the recovery process. I think the conversation it prompts, and the lines of communication it has opened between parents and their children are extremely important conversations to have-- especially in the age of social media.

So let's talk. Let's open up, let's have a conversation. Be an ally, be a confidant. Because in case you didn't notice, the deposition has yet to take place yet-- NOV 10 2017. Because that conversation you're so unwilling to have, or that you worry may be too uncomfortable could save someones life.