A popular Netflix series has been criticised for glamourising suicide.

The drama 13 Reasons Why tells the fictional story of teenage girl who leaves behind thirteen audio recordings after taking her own life.

The National Suicide Research Foundation has slammed the programme saying it romanticises suicide and issued a briefing expressing concerns about the 'copycat' risks and the negative impact it could have on young people.

Kim Buckley has this report:

Netflix has defended the show:

We've heard from our members that 13 Reasons Why has opened up a dialogue among parents, teens, schools and mental health advocates around the intense themes and difficult topics depicted in the show.We knew the material covered sensitive topics, as the book did when it was published in 2007, and we worked with mental health experts to show how these issues impact teens in real and dramatic ways. We rated the series 18, added explicit warnings on the three most graphic episodes, produced an after show, Beyond the Reasons, that delves deeper into some of the tougher topics portrayed, as well as created a global website to help people find local mental health resources. We also provide parental controls.

Relevant helplines that can be accessed by people in distress include: Childline: 1800 66 66 66; Aware: 1800 80 48 48; Samaritans: 116 123.

Relevant websites: www.reachout.com; www.aware.ie; www.jigsaw.ie