Christina Kociyan remembers doing "stupid things" in school in order to fit in, so when this Beachwood mom watched "13 Reasons Why" on Netflix, she understood the turmoil facing the show's tormented main character, Hannah.

"I related to her overwhelming sadness," said Kociyan, a 39-year-old mother of three.

The breakout series zeroes in on themes — teen suicide, rape and bullying — that many parents find difficult to discuss with their children. Spurred by the show's popularity with young viewers, many schools locally and across the country have picked up the conversation slack.

With the "13 Reasons Why" official Twitter account announcing in May that season two is in the works, teachers and parents — many were caught off-guard when the show debuted in March — are on notice for the next round of tough questions and conversations.

Some teenagers and young adults are still reeling from what they watched in the first season, which was released March 31.

A particularly graphic suicide scene left a deep impression on 16-year-old Zachary Dougherty, who attends Toms River High School North.

"I think that kind of messed with me a little bit," he said. "I personally think that that is a very dangerous concept, to see that."

He wasn't the only one with concerns.

Lacey Schools Superintendent Craig Wigley was concerned enough to send a letter home to parents detailing resources on depression and suicide awareness.

"It’s not a good message for certain age groups that might be impressionable," he said.

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What started as a best-selling book by Jay Asher, "13 Reasons Why" traces people around main character Hannah and her life-ending decision. In the series, Hannah is witness to a rape and is subjected to malicious sexual rumors that target her reputation.

She is bullied, harassed and suffers the theft of her biographical poetry and its public release. The "13 Reasons" are the purported reasons why Hannah takes her own life.

Mental health professionals and school officials are trying to draw renewed attention to supports for young people in crisis and suicide prevention help lines, spurred in part by the knowledge that students are watching the series.

“When a child has been exposed to the notion of suicide it can increase their risk .... Yet, the show is here, kids have watched it," said Susan Tellone, associate director of The Mental Health Association of Monmouth County. "I think the challenge now is to turn the conversation into something that can be productive and use the television show to really bring (out) some of those points."

Suicide is a serious health issue in the United States. In 2015, it was the third-leading cause of death in children between the ages of 10 and 14, after accidental death and cancer, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Among teenagers to 24-year-olds across the nation, it is the second-leading cause of death after accidents.

In New Jersey, suicide is the third-leading causing of death among 15- to 24-year-olds, after homicide and accidental injury, according to New Jersey's Public Health Data Resource.

Nancy Asher-Shultz, a school psychologist at Marlboro Middle School, knew she needed to discuss "13 Reasons Why" after learning young students, even sixth-graders, were tuning in.

"I wanted to make parents aware of what some of the issues were that were contained in the show and to really get them thinking about how to talk to their kids about the issues," Asher-Shultz said.

She wants kids in crisis to reach out to a trusted adult for help, and to know there are resources available. She also said parents should be open to having conversations about these sometimes difficult issues.

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"Whether or not your kids have watched the show, these are still important topics," said Asher-Shultz. "Suicide isn’t the solution. We want them (children and teenagers) to know that there are always other ways to handle problems."

Netflix, too, wanted to give the show's audience a chance to have a deeper discussion on these issues, and created post-show commentary, "13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons," as a supplement.

In it, mental health professionals, cast members and producers discuss topics like bullying, depression and sexual assault.

But some mental health experts and students worry the show's attractive actors and appealing characters might actually glamorize suicide and related themes.

Even the National Association of School Psychologists issued a warning about "13 Reasons Why."

"We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series," the organization said in a statement on its website. "Its powerful storytelling may lead impressionable viewers to romanticize the choices made by the characters and/or develop revenge fantasies."

Dougherty, the Toms River High School North student, sees this as a real possibility among his fellow students.

"I think it (the show) is dangerous for younger people," he said. "In high school, the drama sometimes gets very extreme.

Dougherty said bullying, harassment and suicide are real issues for some of his classmates, but the show adds Hollywood elements he worries could be misinterpreted by some peers.

That's a worry of other mental health and school professionals as well.

Preventing teen suicide has become a mission for Kathleen Taylor, superintendent of Ocean City School District in Cape May County. Two high school students in the 2,200-student system killed themselves between 2015 and 2016, she said.

Taylor said adults and schools must be willing to discuss mental health crises and share resources.

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"We could have kept this to ourselves, but we would never want this ever to happen to another child or see another district go through this," she said. "We made a concerted effort this year to make presentations about it. It’s emotional. It’s emotional when we do these presentations, but we think folks need to hear.”

Other schools are also trying to combat teen suicide with messages of hope. One Michigan high school had 13 students record personal stories of overcoming problems and choosing options that were not suicide, in a series called "13 Reasons Why Not."

After the student deaths, Ocean City administrators also took action and formed a committee with community members that worked to change the school climate and sought to spread information about mental health resources through posters, fliers and assemblies.

They also bolstered their staff of social workers who were trained in mental health counseling and partnered with parents and community members, Taylor said. They created new systems of support networks for students in crisis and worked to remove the stigmas surrounding mental health.

“We’re talking about it openly," said Taylor. "We’re sharing information. I think parents are becoming more aware and willing to call the school if they have a concern.”

The effort remains critical because classmates and friends affected by the students' deaths will attend the district for years to come, she said.

"We’re (still) in a fragile state," Taylor said.

A growing crisis

Suicide rates have climbed for both men and women in the United States between 1999 and 2014, according to the National Institutes of Health.

In New Jersey, calls to the state's Hopeline, a peer support and suicide prevention hotline rose nearly 20 percent between 2015 and 2016, from 10,293 to 12,316, according to data from the state Department of Human Services.

Between January and May of this year, the department received 5,346 calls, nearly 100 fewer calls than over the same time frame in 2016. But the volume of calls to the suicide hotline was 40 percent higher than the same period two years prior.

Nationally, suicide among adolescents age 10 to 14 is rarer, but has been rising sharply since 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Despite the growing problem, the stigma surrounding depression and mental health issues remains strong, said Tellone of the Mental Health Association of Monmouth County.

"It’s much easier to talk about a heart condition, cancer, broken leg," she said. "We still have shame attached to seeking help for our mental health… people still don’t bring it out in the open."

But that is beginning to change. Open conversations about depression and the themes raised by the show are ways to breakdown the barriers, said Asher-Shultz.

"If it ("13 Reasons Why") leads to good conversation, then it really is serving a purpose," she said.

These are conversations likely to continue when the second season of "13 Reasons Why" streams online next year. Netflix has not yet announced a release date.

Kociyan, the Toms River mother of three, said there are lessons to be taken from the show. She said she would not permit her children to see it but watched the series with her husband.

"No kids should watch it," said Kociyan, "(but) my opinion is it should be watched by every parent."

Need help for yourself or a loved one? Reach out.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)

New Jersey's 24/7 Hopeline: 855-654-6735

Crisis Text Line: Text "start" to 741741

Jersey Shore PFLAG (a nonprofit organization that supports families and allies of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people): 908-814-2155

New Jersey Department of Human Services' Addiction Hotline: 800-238-2333

Perform Care, behavioral health solutions, 877-652-7624

Monmouth County Child and Family Crisis, Psychiatric emergency screen services at Monmouth Medical Center, for suicide risk intervention: 732-923-6999.

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Amanda Oglesby: 732-557-5701; aoglesby@GannettNJ.com