What do you think about suicide?

[personal5579 10]

Hi All,

 

Without trying to be too depressing, I recently started studying Mental Health, and I have an assignment titled "Society's views on suicide".

 

So I'd appreciate any comments you have: good or bad. Your thoughts on the victim, the victims family, people affected by the incident (especially the train driver in cases where person has jumped in front of train or the person who finds the victim), and the method of suicide would be very useful.

 

Thanks.

[squidge00 10]

I think that for someone to want to commit suicide, they are in a very dark place in their head, and therefore, cannot be held entirely responsible for their actions because they are not their true selves, but instead, are afflicted with a terrible illness. However, because you cannot see a mental illness, i think that people cannot understand suicide because the pain is not obvious.

[GazB 10]

Euthanasia - Bad.

 

It's selfish and cowardly - No matter how bad things are. This is a subject that's quite close to my heart so I'm looking forward to what people have to say, and if anyone agrees with suicide in any form - I'd love to know why.

 

GazB

[Solomon1 10]

my uncle committed suicide. he was a doctor and much loved father and husband. his son found him hanging in the woods behind their house.

 

he had been depressed for some time, never talked about his problems, his family never knew how much pain he was in.

 

for such a fun-loving, amiable person to go to such lengths to end their suffering, just evokes enormous sorrow in me.

 

if anyone is to blame, it is society for not looking at diseases of the brain in the same way as they would look at any other diseased part of the body.

 

if we did, people would feel more able to seek help in the early stages, when they can be given the tools with which to cope.

[Moonbird 10]

I think that sometimes suicide is a cry for help, but also sometimes it is a choice and a well thought out plan and well hidden from family and friends.

I guess my view is that our lives are our own and we make of them what we want to,so if a person no longer wants to live that life ... terrible as it is for others it is up to them, although obviously our perception of life is clouded and altered by mental illness.

It seems family and friends suffer much more and feel guilt for what has happened, its a terrible thing that someones life should come to that

[JoeP 11]

Many years ago, when I was a student, I got home from lectures one evening to find a note under my door from a fellow two doors down saying he'd taken a mixture of booze and paracetamol.

 

Whether it was a genuine attempt to kill himself or a 'para-suicide' sort of cry for help I've never worked out, as by all rights I shouldn't have been back at my Hall of residence when I was there.

 

Anyway, long story short, got him to hospital, saved his scrawny neck and I grew up very quickly. I'm still angry with him after 27 years. A lot of 'stuff' in my life came out of what he did, and none of the reasons for his actions were anything to do with me. He was out of hospital partying within hours. I was ****ed up beyond all recognition for months.

 

Over the next few months he sort of attached himself to me and he spent time in hospital as the paracetamol went for his liver, and he was lucky to survive.

 

I regard his actions as selfish and hard to forgive - and I know this makes me sound like a right 24-carat *******. Whilst I can see that people are in a very horrible place, the pain they inflict on others around them is massive. I cannot imagine a circumstance in which I would inflict that on people - I've been depressed myself and even when I was in the depths of it I couldn't imagine hurting my loved ones like that.

 

What I WOULD agree totally with is that we make certain subjects too difficult for many people to talk about, and this drives people in to the dark places within them.

[Minesadouble 10]

I think that sometimes suicide is a cry for help, but also sometimes it is a choice and a well thought out plan and well hidden from family and friends.

I guess my view is that our lives are our own and we make of them what we want to,so if a person no longer wants to live that life ... terrible as it is for others it is up to them, although obviously our perception of life is clouded and altered by mental illness.

It seems family and friends suffer much more and feel guilt for what has happened, its a terrible thing that someones life should come to that

 

I agree Moon, I used to think it was a cowards way out ....but after knowing someone who committed suicide that left utter devastation and un-answered questions for the family to pick up ....I understand why the person did it ....and don't think of them as a coward any more ....It's a difficult one - but some people just want out for one reason or another and no matter what is said or done - sometimes it's the only way ....

I should imagine they never mean to hurt anyone - just feel they don't want to exist anymore x

[Moonbird 10]

I agree Moon, I used to think it was a cowards way out ....but after knowing someone who committed suicide that left utter devastation and un-answered questions for the family to pick up ....I understand why the person did it ....and don't think of them as a coward any more ....It's a difficult one - but some people just want out for one reason or another and no matter what is said or done - sometimes it's the only way ....

I should imagine they never mean to hurt anyone - just feel they don't want to exist anymore x

 

Yes i agree with all you said minesadouble, in the case of joep's person it was obviously a cry for help and attention...shame the mental (laugh) health services were unable to help him, it really is a awful lot of responsibility to try and help someone with that mindset... i know i have been there

In the case of the people who plan it and carry it out secretly i do believe that is their choice and right to do so, but the only thing i don't understand is why they don't leave a note so that family and friends at least understand why, and don't blame themselves... that would be a kindness.

[Rooty 10]

I agree with what squidge says. I know that some ways in which people take their own lives affect people other than their family/friends and it can have a huge effect on their life but i still personally find it hard to get angry or blame them for what they've done as if they can take their own life and leave their loved ones in such circumstances it is quite obvious that they are not 'all there'.

 

I used to think people who committed suicide were cowards, i don't any more. Like someone said to me when someone close to me committed suicide: It takes some balls to do it actually.

 

It is an awful thing to do and an awful thing for the loved ones left behind to get over

[squidge00 10]

In my experience, the person who wants to commit suicide is sometimes driven by a concern about them being a huge burden to others, and therefore feels that not only themselves, but everyone around them would be better off if they were dead.

[personal5579 10]

Suicide is selfish. It has to be, otherwise the person would not do it.

 

It is also a choice, and to a troubled mind its a very good option to

ease the suffering.

 

Sadly, it is those who are left behind, who can end up suffering great

emotional tourment.

 

Please keep them coming!

[AtticusFinch 10]

I used to believe that suicide was the single most selfish thing a person could do, and showed a complete disregard for all their friends and family who loved them. My opinion has changed in the last few years though. I now believe that anyone could be driven to suicide given the right circumstances. Terrible things can happen to people and they frequently do.

 

I've had a relatively comfortable life without anything bad really happening to me. The first death I ever experienced was my nan's when I was 18, and it's hardly unusual for a teenager to experience the death of a grandparent. I therefore don't feel I could justifiably pass judgement on people who've had to go through things that I have no idea about.