This article contains minor spoilers related to the characters’ mental health, but no major plot spoilers above the overall story-line.
Portraying mental health and self-injury on screen isn’t easy. Directors and producers have the tricky task of depicting mental health issues realistically, without being too graphic. Netflix made the mistake once with 13 Reasons Why which, despite being a great success, stirred controversy about its violent depiction of suicide. The promotion surrounding the show revolved around mental health awareness: the website 13reasonswhy.info was created to provide helpline numbers, and the series opens with the cast members hoping the show would spark conversation about depression, suicide, and sexual assault. The show did stir conversation about these issues, but not for positive reasons only. One of the series’ main characters was shown committing suicide in a graphic way. Psychologists advised against the scene, which was linked to an increase in youth suicide in the months following the release of the show. Faced with criticism and evidence, Netflix ended up censoring the scene two years later, but continued to explore teens’ mental health. In 2021, they released a new show which covered mental health issues among teens, titled Ginny & Georgia.
A nuanced depiction of self-injury
Series and movies are a powerful medium that can shape how we see self-injury. They often perpetuate the stereotype that only young white girls do it, and that cutting is the only form of self-harm. This, of course, isn’t the case. A study1 about a large sample of high-school students across 11 states in the US found that self-injury was more common among teenagers who identified as Native American, Hispanic, and White in a respective order, than those who identified as Black, or Asian and Pacific Islanders. But still, more than 12% of high-school students who identified as Black reported having engaged in self-injury in the 12 months preceding the survey. This shows that self-injury is still widespread across all races and ethnicity. Ginny & Georgia challenges these stereotypes by showing a mixed-race character, Ginny, burning herself to cope with stressful situations and negative emotions. Despite a strong focus on her mental health, her character is more than her self-injury. She has passions, interests, and personality. This is an important reminder that someone’s identity isn’t defined by their self-injury.
Ginny & Georgia also tackles another common misconception about self-injury being a suicide attempt. In the second episode of season 2, Ginny clearly states that “I’ve never wanted to kill myself or anything. It’s not like that […] I had the urge to do it, and… and I did it.” Throughout the show, we see her resort to burning to cope with the difficult situations she goes through. The series presents self-injury as an attempt at escaping negative emotions, but also a way to express her suffering in ways that she can’t through words. “I think a reason that Ginny self-harms is because that character feels voiceless and she doesn’t feel validated”, explained the show’s creator Sarah Lampert in an interview for the podcast Depresh Mode2. “And so, that is a way for all of her feelings to have an outlet. Because she doesn’t feel that there’s space for them in her relationship with her mom.” Ginny clearly states this reason in episode 8 of season 1: “of course I hurt myself. When you don’t have a voice, you have to scream somehow”. This quote also highlights Ginny’s feeling of powerlessness. Unlike her mother Georgia, she often gets into situations she can’t control. This is precisely what made her start burning herself at the age of 12, when she was forced to move from the town where she had made a friend for the first time. “I remember this insane, pent-up energy and the urge to just hurt. […] I knew where my mom kept a lighter, and I took it. […] And as soon as I did it, I just kind of knew that I’d be doing it again. And… I felt ashamed. And I still feel ashamed”. Ginny’s cycle of shame, urges, and self-injury mirrors the daily struggle of people with self-injury.
The complexity of self-injury experience
The intense shame Ginny feels, along with her fear of being judged, pushes her to keep her self-injury a secret. When she burns, she does it in her bedroom, sitting on the ground with her back against the door. In the last episode of season 1, Ginny feels very upset about an argument she had with her friends and boyfriend. As her mother Georgia comes to check on her, we see Ginny blocking the door, quickly hiding a lighter before her mom enters. Ginny also lies about her scars. When her then-boyfriend notices scars on her thighs, she quickly claims it is a birthmark.
In addition to secrecy, habituation is a common element of the experience of self-injury. Many people need to harm themselves more frequently or more severely to obtain the same feeling of relief. Ginny’s character struggles with this issue, particularly as her mental health worsens. In the first episode of season 2, we see Ginny in bed at her biological father’s house. She is teary-eyed, overwhelmed by her guilt and despair. She takes her lighter and burns herself, keeping the flame on her leg as she counts upward. Her face is distorted by pain, and the pain lasts even after she stops hurting herself. Never before has the viewer seen Ginny hurt herself that much, and this increase in severity parallels her emotional pain. This is a pivotal point for her, as she realizes the situation is getting out of hand: later, she opens up to her dad about her self-harm, explaining it’s gotten worse and that she wants to stop.
Ginny eventually manages to stop harming herself, but she still struggles with urges. In a difficult moment where she experiences intense emotions, she asks for an emergency session with her therapist, explaining she wants to burn and feel like she could relapse. The therapist is reassuring, explaining that “relapse is part of recovery”. This is an important message since many people who engage in self-injury feel shame and guilt when they relapse.
All these elements, shame, secrecy, seeking help, and relapse are important because they depict the complexity of self-injury authentically. But the show does more than simply address self-injury, as it also tackles the many issues that can lead to it.
Identity issues and racism
The series emphasizes how mental health issues aren’t always rooted in internal emotional struggle only. Social issues can also deeply impact people on a personal level.
Ginny struggles with racial identity and racism. As a mixed-race teenager, she experiences difficulties fitting in, being perceived as “too white” by some of her black peers and “too black” by some of her white peers. This is incredibly isolating for her, impacting the way she behaves and presents herself, and the friends she makes. She is frequently exposed to racism from public institutions, being discriminated against by her English teacher and the police. The series also depicts microaggressions by well-meaning people, such as Ginny’s friends touching her hair without her consent. It shows that even subtle instances of racism can have a negative impact on mental health. Another striking example is when Ginny’s mother dresses as Scarlett O’Hara, a character from the 1930s novel and movie Gone with the Wind which portrays antebellum South as idyllic, ignoring the brutality of slavery and perpetuating stereotypes about black people. The series stresses how racial matters are complex and multilayered, and impacts each individual differently. Without minimizing Ginny’s identity struggles, it shows how being biracial allows her to go through situations presenting herself as either black or white, something that her friend Bracia, who is black, isn’t able to do.
The show covers other social issues that are more newsworthy than ever, such as sexism, abortion, and sexuality. In a world that is made for and by men, Ginny and Georgia must adapt to find a place where they can be fulfilled, happy, and safe.
Family and friends
While mental health difficulties can find roots at a societal level, what happens in the household can also be deeply influential. Georgia’s family is complex and nontraditional. Her two children, Ginny and Austin, were born from previous relationships, to whom her new husband Paul offers a paternal figure. Each family member loves each other, but the complexity of the relationship takes a toll on Ginny’s mental health. She struggles with the absence of her biological father Zion, and the frequent house moves and poverty she experienced during her childhood. Ginny & Georgia shows helpful and harmful aspects of family dynamics, from sexual abuse experienced by both Georgia and Ginny at the hands of their respective stepfathers, to domestic abuse Georgia’s later partner inflicted on her. Georgia deeply loves her daughter, but her relationship with her isn’t healthy either. Because she was only 15 when she got pregnant, she treats Ginny more like a friend than a daughter. Instead of providing a safe environment, she often brushes off Ginny’s struggles and gets defensive when her education is being questioned.
Similarly, friendships can both be a support for Ginny, but can also worsen her mental health issues. Her friends don’t always understand what she is going through, and arguments isolate her. A striking scene occurs in episode 5 of season 2, when Ginny is with her friends at school. The scene is in slow motion, with no sound except for the song “Hey Bunny” by Baby Bugs playing in the background. The absence of background noise and the change of speed show how Ginny’s internal turmoil disconnects her from time and space. Suddenly, as the singer sings “I wanna scratch myself with infected rust”, Ginny snaps an elastic band against her wrist, which she uses as an alternative to self-injury. The scene goes back to normal speed, the song ends, and sound appears, with students chatting in the background. Ginny’s back to reality. “All is well in the world again”, says her friend Max with a large smile. But Ginny isn’t feeling well. Her friends care about her, but they don’t understand her pain; her mental health issues are invisible, even in plain sight.
And yet, her character isn’t the only one going through challenges, and their own issues often go unseen as well.
Different mental health issues
In addition to the diversity of social issues, there is also a diversity of mental health issues depicted in Ginny & Georgia. Ginny’s boyfriend Marcus deals with depression and alcohol use disorder. His sister Max exhibits behaviors reminiscent of attention deficit disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she struggles with a fear of rejection. In addition to engaging in self-injury, Ginny also suffers from panic attacks. Her friend Abby has low body image, and has an eating disorder.
Faced with these many challenges, characters cope in different ways, often attempting to hide their issues. Georgia deals with her own problems by burying them. She sees vulnerability as a weakness and considers therapy a scam. Similarly, Max hides her struggle by looking happy and cheerful all the time. Marcus turns to alcohol in an attempt to escape his depression. These other maladaptive coping mechanisms may help the viewer better understand self-injury. As Ginny’s therapist explains to her, “Sometimes when we’re stressed, we use unhealthy behaviors to cope instead of healthy ones”. There is no question that self-injury is unhealthy, but is drinking alcohol or burying your head in the sand really any better, or just more accepted by society? In that regard, covering self-injury in a show can help increase societal awareness.
Approaching the topic responsibly
By depicting self-injury realistically, the show has the potential to teach and raise awareness about it. The creators were fully aware of the impact the series could have, both positively and negatively. They consulted mental health experts to make sure they cover these harsh topics responsibly. Sarah Lampert told Depresh Mode’s podcast2: “we work very closely with Mental Health America […] we know that our audience can be young. We don’t wanna ever be triggering or harmful, so we don’t wanna ever be instructive”. Netflix was reluctant to show Ginny’s self-injury in the first episode, and preferred to delay the scene. This gives the viewer time to get used to the characters instead of being exposed to a shocking scene straight away. In addition, the show doesn’t feature any graphic depictions of self-injury. When we see Ginny burn, the focus is on her face, the pain she expresses, and her emotions instead of on the injury itself. But occasionally we do see her leg, which some viewers have considered too graphic. As with their other shows, Netflix displays a trigger warning in the top left corner of the screen before each episode. Ginny & Georgia’s episodes that display scenes about self-injury also feature a message during the ending credits: “If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, information and resources are available at www.wannatalkaboutit.com”. A variant about suicide is shown after an episode during which Georgia feels suicidal. Unfortunately, this support disclaimer is shown too late in the credits, after the creators and producers’ names are displayed. It’s fair to assume most viewers would have skipped to the next episode already by the time the message appears.
Promoting help-seeking
Despite such harsh topics, the show keeps a hopeful approach about mental health, through its depiction of therapy and help-seeking. Seeing characters seek support can be inspiring to those who suffer from mental health issues. Across the episodes, we witness Ginny open up to her boyfriend Marcus, her friend Bracia, and her father. Each of these characters reacts in a compassionate, supportive, and non-judgmental way.
Even before going to therapy, Ginny already knows some strategies to avoid self-harming. In episode 5 of season 1, she feels the urge to burn when she sees a lit candle in the room where she is. But instead, she counts to five till the urge passes. Other times she uses distraction techniques, such as listening to music and dancing, or asking Marcus to tell her a joke. While it doesn’t solve underlying issues, delaying self-harm is an effective technique. Seeing this technique work for Ginny may encourage viewers to give it a try as well.
Although Ginny’s therapy is fictional, the show approaches it realistically. At first Ginny is shy and intimidated, but she quickly gets comfortable thanks to her therapist’s compassionate and nonjudgmental approach. The therapist consistently keeps patients’ confidentiality a priority, refusing to divulge what Ginny says during the sessions, even to Georgia. Eventually, even skeptical Georgia turns to therapy to deal with her depression.
Ginny’s therapist teaches her some strategies and ways to cope with her emotions instead of turning to self-harm, such as using distractions, moving her body, going for a run, and removing herself from triggering situations. In episode 3 of season 3, she gives Ginny a notebook and a rubber band. She explains: “These are tools I want you to try. The rubber band is a distractor. When you feel you wanna self-harm, snap the rubber band to distract yourself, get out of that moment. And then when you’re out of danger, write your feelings in the notebook.” In addition to these tools, she encourages Ginny to identify her triggers and analyze what makes her relapse.
This positive depiction may reassure real-life teenagers who are reluctant to seek professional help. This is supported by researchers Trewavas, Hasking and McAllister. In a 2010 study3, they write: “If a character is shown seeking professional help for underlying psychiatric concerns or [non-suicidal self-injury], this can be effectively modeled among those reluctant to seek help. In those who have sought professional help, the portrayal of problem resolution and effective coping may also be modeled.”
The issue with the rubber band
But is the coping in Ginny & Georgia really effective? Most advice is actually helpful. Writing, opening up, delaying, and identifying triggers, are all great ways to avoid harming yourself. However, the rubber band technique is not a substitute that should be promoted. In the show, we see Ginny use the rubber band at times she wouldn’t have been able to burn: at school, during the therapist, and even during a family dinner. What was presented as a simple distraction seems to be another form of self-harm for her. Lewis and Hasking, two professors who have greatly researched self-injury, recommend avoiding replacement behaviors that mimic aspects of self-injury, such as drawing on the skin with a red marker or holding ice cubes4. So far, no research has demonstrated that these alternative methods are effective, and they may even lead to the persistence of urges4. Many people who struggle with self-injury support this opinion. Self-injury peer support group SIRA (for whom I had the pleasure to write a newsletter in 2024) made a great Instagram reel about the rubber band in Ginny & Georgia (embedded below). Its owner Amanda Beausoleil felt this technique never worked for her. She ran a survey in SIRA’s community to see if she was the only one feeling that way. She wasn’t. 83% of respondents said it didn’t help them, and many even saw it as another form of self-injury. And yet, it often remains one of the few strategies therapists and counselors promote, despite both research and lived experience advising against it. It may work for some people, but other alternatives that have been proven effective by research should also be offered.
Reacting to a child’s self-harm
In addition to helping those who struggle with self-injury, the show can be a way for parents to learn the dos and don’ts of how to approach the topic with their children. Ginny’s father is supportive and nonjudgmental. He frequently checks on her mental health, encouraging her to talk to him. He understands that self-injury is only a consequence of underlying issues, and not the main issue per se. In episode 4 of season 2, he asks his daughter how therapy is. She explains she’s not burning anymore, to which he replies it isn’t what he asked. In the end, what truly matters is not Ginny’s self-harm, it’s her emotional struggle. Zion is also the one who brings her to professional help, understanding that the issue is wider than what they can deal with alone.
Georgia on the other hand is the complete opposite, at least at first. In episode 6 of season 2, she finds out about Ginny’s self-harm and reacts with panic and anger. She bursts into her daughter’s room. “Show me!”, she shouts, before violently grabbing Ginny in an attempt to see the injuries. In defense, Ginny gets annoyed. “Fine, you wanna see?”, she replies, pulling down her pants to show the wounds. The view of the injuries shocks Georgia, and she calms down. She asks her for how long she’s been burning, and starts crying. Faced with a tearing mom, Ginny becomes the responsible one, she doesn’t want her mother to cry. But Georgia struggles to make sense of the situation, and asks if it’s because of her. Roles are reversed. Ginny stands tall. She’s responsible, calm, trying to reassure her emotional mother, who is kneeling on the ground. And then, Ginny starts sobbing, she hates her self-harm and wants to stop doing it. Georgia finally stands up, and hugs her daughter to comfort her. Roles are back to normal. It’s a key moment, the mother finally understands her daughter. As Sarah Lampert explains in Depresh Mode’s podcast2, “it was okay for Georgia to be wrong in discovering Ginny’s self-harm like that. But then in the end—by the end of the scene, she really does make her first step towards giving Ginny what she needs and to take a step forward in their relationship”.
Throughout the show, Georgia gradually learns to listen to Ginny, and comfort her. Her evolution demonstrates that even a failed first approach about mental health doesn’t mean any other conversation is doomed. Her progress peaks in a moving scene during episode 5 of season 3, in which she manages to prevent Ginny from harming herself. She spots Ginny running to her room after a very difficult time at school, and immediately follows her, but the door is closed. Ginny is against the door, her typical spot for self-injury. She is about to harm herself, but Georgia interrupts her. In a calm and reassuring voice, the mother asks her daughter to open the door. As Ginny doesn’t obey, Georgia encourages her to recite a poem. The distraction works, and Ginny opens the door. The two cry in each other’s arms. Ginny gives the lighter to Georgia, proving her motivation to quit.
Overall Ginny & Georgia does a good job at covering self-injury responsibly. The series normalizes urges and relapse, promotes effective alternatives, and approaches help-seeking with hope. In the end, it isn’t only a show about self-injury. It deals with universal themes, showing how hope, resilience, and the love of family and friends can help begin a recovery journey from mental health issues. But the show also reminds us that those who help others have their own struggles. This is exemplified by Max’s character, who puts herself second to manage her brother’s alcohol addiction on her own without telling their parents. This is a heavy burden for someone who is only a teenager. This takes a toll on her own well-being. In episode 9 of season 3, she can no longer repress her feelings. “I feel like I have to be big and bright all the time, and take care of everyone. But I’m not okay. I’m sad, like really sad”, she explains through tears. Hopefully this show will encourage viewers to check in on their loved ones, even those who seem okay.
References
[1] Monto, M. A., McRee, N., & Deryck, F. S. (2018). Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among a Representative Sample of US Adolescents, 2015. American journal of public health, 108(8), 1042-1048. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2018.304470
[2] Lampert, S., & Moe, J. (2025). Ginny & Georgia Creator Sarah Lampert on Getting Mental Health Right On Screen [Podcast]. In Depresh Mode with John Moe. https://maximumfun.org/episodes/depresh-mode/ginny-georgia-creator-sarah-lampert-on-getting-mental-health-right-on-screen/
[3] Trewavas, C., Hasking, P., & McAllister, M. (2010). Representations of non-suicidal self-injury in motion pictures. Archives of suicide research, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13811110903479110
[4] Lewis, S. P., & Hasking, P. A. (2021). Self-injury recovery: A person-centered framework. In Journal of Clinical Psychology (Vol. 77, Issue 4, pp. 884–895).
Exploring self-harm 