Suicide......your thoughts

[Etelerix]

I couldn't find another post on this topic so I thought I'd start the first.

SUICIDE - the intentional killing of one's self.

What are your thoughts on Suicide? Should it be illegal or a personal right? Why do people commit suicide? Is it evil? It ranks as a leading cause of death worldwide........why? Why is our society placing so much effort into stopping drug abuse and suicide even as the rates of both continue to climb. How does the thought of suicide make you feel? Do you get an uneasy feeling in your gut? Do you retract back in fear of the thought? What is the point of life? Can someone really be happy in this world? Did you know someone who committed suicide? If so, how did it make you feel? I haven't been feeling very sunny and bright for a while now... and these thoughts are swirling in my head constantly. I may just be depressed, I'm not sure, I have never been to a psychiatrist in my life and I don't plan on going to one. Why do people kill themselves? Is it wrong?What are your thoughts on this rather dark subject?

[insomaniacal]

I can talk about suicide for hours and hours, but I won't.

Basically, I see suicide as a bit pointless. You have far more control over your life than you lead yourself to believe, and even if your situation is absolutely terrible, there's always other things you can do that will improve it. Even drug use, which certainly isn't a good thing if you're using it to run from problems, would improve your mood for a short time. By killing yourself, you never know what will happen. It could be the door to a better world, but it might be worse.

There's other drastic things you could do in situations like that. Dissapearing and re-inventing an identity is another option. Sure it'd be difficult, but at least you're in relative control.

The truth is, most suicides are caused by things that don't even constitute such drastic measures. A person will feel depressed for awhile, and more often than not, the cause of their depression is well within their control to change. Of course it'd probably be harder than what they're used to, otherwise they'd just do it and not be depressed over it. It comes down to strength of will. It just becomes too much for some people, and stuff just piles up. After awhile, they decide dying is easier than dealing with it all.

When I was younger, I went through the dark 'n depressed stage, and ultimately, it led to some of the best times of my life. I slowly solved my problems, not always in the best way, but I solved them, or at least found a way around them, or a way to deal with them. It started by something as simple as listening to music that personified how I felt, then meeting other people that were similar, and soon, I was having fun again. I've certainly had other "depressing" experiences, but it also depends on how you're raised as well. And that doesn't necessarily mean that a stress free environment really creates a good mentality.

[Etelerix]

A typical answer.....

But what if you've been at the lowest point of your life for so long that you've forgotten how happiness felt?

What if you've become so sick that you don't want things to get better?

What if the only thing you want is death, can anyone really talk you out of it?

[hacker85]

Personally I think that the suicide rates keep climbing because of how much pressure and we have on use today like taxes, money problems, religion, Land Ownership, wars. I personally sometimes think that the goverment has to much power and should keep itself out of land ownership and others I think if the goverment has less power that will ease the pressure and stop some suicides. I don't think suicde is evil but I think people should see that there are other solutions than killing yourself.

[faazshift]

I think most people get these thoughts at some point in their life. Some people just deal with them in a radical way, rather than working through them. When I was much younger I too went through a stage of depression (which is exactly what it is... a temporary stage). I just found ways of overcoming the problems that gave me these feelings. Since, I haven't had any further thoughts of suicide and have come to a point where I doubt I could take my own life. I just looked for the good in my life and shun the bad. Everyone's lives are important, whether they realize it or not. There's far more to live for than there could ever be to give up and die for. Life is all about overcoming things. There is no good reason to turn your back on everything and everyone because there's a bump in the road that, with persistence, can most certainly be overcome.

[Draymire]

my favourite thing about suicide is the way authorities act when someone tries to commit suicide. If you live you are soon followed up with a nice big fine you have to pay for not doing it right. Its like saying i know you hate your life now but guess what its getting worse. Now don't try it again.

This is a big problem, wouldn't a better way to handle this is 'this person is depressed maybe we should try and show them that they mean more to the world than $$$'.

[faazshift]

Yeah, it would be far more effective to get them some counseling than to fine them.

[insomaniacal]

A typical answer.....

But what if you've been at the lowest point of your life for so long that you've forgotten how happiness felt?

What if you've become so sick that you don't want things to get better?

What if the only thing you want is death, can anyone really talk you out of it?

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that to be happy, you need to want to be happy. If you've forgotten how happiness felt and took some drugs, you'd remember (at least chemically, extra dopamine pretty much equals happiness). If not, then all you need to want is to change the state that you're in. Which makes it even easier since getting somewhere and not knowing where is easier than going to a specific destination.

I also have no idea how you could get so sick you don't want to get better, unless you mean they're at the point where they are blinding themselves of the solutions because death sounds easier, which is the only reason a person would want to die anyway.

I'm talking about otherwise chemically and psychologically stable people, as there are of course real cases of clinical depression, but these are rare, and don't really apply to this discussion, since drugs really are the only answer here.

Usually, if someone wants to get someone out of killing themselves, you just need to present a reason to live. It can be as trivial as presenting them with a question to ponder or as complex as meeting a significant other. Regardless, setting some sort of goal is essential.

[branbadd07]

truly i think the only reason of suicide is if you ARE MAJORLY HURT OR SICK. for any other reason is stupid and sense less. only reason why people commit suicide is because they are severely ill or because they're in a war got shot and there is no chance of living and they're in a lifetime of pain so they want to die so they are out of their misery.

[Goatboy]

Preface: For those of you who do not know me, I am a very dark individual. You very well may be offended by what I am about to say. Suicide is one of those issues like religion and politics. The day will never come when we all have the same opinion. As such, I don't expect you to agree with what I say on any grounds, be they moral, ethical, economical, or otherwise. Bear in mind, what you see here is only a miniscule fraction of my thoughts on the subject.

Suicide is a beautiful thing. Sure there are other options, but some people just don't want to live anymore. If you don't have control of whether or not you live, what can you decide? I have watched people die slowly in hospice care, infected with diseases there is no hope of curing. They are only able to prolong their suffering. My own grandmother asked - practically begged - me to take her IV drip out when she was in the hospital. I told her I would move it close to her bed, walk out of the room and come back in 15 minutes...

Now as for the question of legality, to call the act itself illegal would be simply asinine. How are you going to punish someone if they are dead? Fine their family? Yea, that makes perfect sense. I have a better solution.

Currently, more than half the states have clear laws against assisted suicide. The others tiptoe around the delicate issue, defining what counts as "assisted" suicide and what does not. It is my honest-to-God belief that there should be clinics that are legally allowed to aid in suicide. With some provisions, that is.

In my grandmother's case, she was not able to get out of her bed, pull the IV drip to her, and clip it shut. I did most of the work for her, but she was still too weak to reach up and clip it shut. When I walked back in, she was still alive and we cried together for hours. She died 2 days later. But only after her organs slowly shut down, causing her to go through immense pain.

Now imagine another scenario. She asks me to clip her IV. We talk about it, and she decides it is her time to go. I get the on-call doctor, he confirms with us, and lets her go peacefully with 120mg of Morphine. No pain. No suffering. Just death.

I firmly believe that if someone is incapable of ending his/her own life, a doctor should be legally allowed/required (I am still thinking about this part) to administrate an assisted suicide. There would of course be more to it than that, but the idea is the same. I see no reason why people should be left to suffer because they are physically unable to end their own life.

Now in the case of perfectly healthy - albeit depressed - people, clinics should offer a "suicide kit" containing those materials needed for an easy, painless way to die. There would be a set waiting period, during which the person is encouraged/required (Again, still thinking about this) to seek counseling, medical assistance, and talk to their friends and family. After that period, the person will be able to end his/her life without pain.

Think about all of those people who have botched suicide. Shot themselves in the face and lived. Poisoned themselves and had massive internal damage, leading to hospitalization. Hung themselves and lived on with a permanent necklace. Slitting wrists, necks, femoral arteries, only to pass out and wind up in a mental ward. All this could be avoided with a simple kit.

Of course, this will never happen. We are all so selfish that we want to hang on to our loved ones as long as possible, no matter what they want for themselves. That is human nature. It cannot be helped. I have come to accept that. However if I or a loved one should ever be in a position where we are ready to die, I would want it to be quick, quiet, and without pain. Suicide is a beautiful thing.