Suicide.

[Flabby Chick]

Thread inspired by this article on the beeb.

Big issue suicide isn't it? Have you ever been there? My mother attempted to do it when i was in my early teens, i remember shouting at her down the stairs as they carried her to the ambulance about what an idiot she was. Only later, when i'd grown up a bit did i realise she was an alcoholic and my dad was a prick. (Mum is fine now, my bestest mate, only having a glass of wine at dinner)

I must admit i've been stupid enough to think about it at times, but alcohol has been the b1tch to lead me down that road. So has suicide affected your life in some way? Come on, lets have chat.

Bright and cheery threads right here on the DBB.

(if this gets somehow into a Bush/Kerry fing....or a scripture quoting fing, then i'm hanging up me boots.)

[Arol]

...if this gets somehow into a Bush/Kerry fing....or a scripture quoting fing, then i'm hanging up me boots.)

The odds arn't good!

[Testiculese]

It has, but it's not up for discussion.

[Tetrad]

Mom did. It seems they either don't want to put up with their life anymore, or think that other people would get on much better without them. My mom was the latter.

You know the really messed up part? Upon reflection, she was right.

[Ford Prefect]

Interesting article. I had no idea that suicide killed more people than war in our world.

I think of suicide as two different acts.
1) The young and physicaly healthy that for personal and perhaps mental health reasons take their lives to end their own suffering or the percieved suffering of others. It would appear that Tetrad's and FC's mothers fit that catagory. A sad and difficult problem without easy answers. If Tetrad's mother was causing real problems to her family in some way that she could not control then perhaps it was better in some ways, but we all like to think that somehow the situation could have been improved without the death of anyone, that this is an unacceptable option. We like to think that but it is not always possible.
2) The old or physicaly ill that chose to end their life on their own terms rather than let entropy or disease wear them down past the point where life has any humanity left. I lost my step-father to cancer, he was treated in a palliative care ward that was a horror show as far as I was concerned and I would much rather pull the switch myself quickly than go down that road. Even there it was technicaly suicide as he and my mother decided to stop intervenous feeding and liquids so he died of thirst and hunger.

I was pretty depressed as a teenager and at one time doubted that I would make it to adulthood without killing myself. At least that was how it seemed then but I don't think I was ever really that close.

So is suicide a "problem" or just a fact of life? I would like to be able to deduct those suicides of the second type and see what the numbers say. There would still be all those women in China drinking rat poison I guess. That must be a cultural thing. I don't consider the second type to be a problem at all, I do wish more could be done to reach those in the throes of alcoholism and other mental problems. There would seem to be preventable suicides and they are a problem and a tragedy.

Yes! What a cheery and fun topic Flabby Chick! Still not as depressing as the prospect of four more years of a certain cowboy in office.

[snoopy]

I'm not going to say all are, but at least some are defn a problem. I would classify by the responsibility involved in the act. For example: an old person might pull the life support they are on in order to just end it. This seems to be a somewhat responsible thing to do: family/friends where prepared emotionally, they knew it was coming... It could save them money and save them alot of stress of having to deal with a slowly dying person. On the other hand, if the father of a young family commits suicide, it's obviously a very irresponsible thing to do. Particularly, the wife and kids are generally left with huge emotional scars, as well as other difficulties. Most people do it to escape - the problem is what they escape from doesn't just go away alot of times- it's just passed on in a horrible manner to the people closest to the person committing suicide.

[Tricord]

Eleven years ago, my uncle killed his wife (my mother's sister) and then committed suicide, leaving a daughter aged 13 and a son aged 7. We took them in our family since they had no other place to go, and they needed support and therapy to overcome the shock. The news of the death of the parents was already a difficult thing for us, but we had to take in two other children in our family, which wasn't easy.

Everyone turned out allright though.. I think.

[woodchip]

Hey I suicide here all the time

On a more serious note, I always thought Jack Kevorkian wasn't the monstor the newsies tried to make him out as. Who are healthy individuals to pass judgement on people who just don't see any reason to live? How can pain free people say it is against gods law for a pain ridden cancer patient with incurable cancer to end his suffering? I know, there are pros and cons as to what level of reason constitutes terminating ones own existence as being justified. It's just that I can't see prosecuting someone for the attempt.

[Neo]

(if this gets somehow into a Bush/Kerry fing....or a scripture quoting fing, then i'm hanging up me boots.)

loser!

Do you know why people quote scripture to people like you? Because they're trying to get it through your thick skull! Just kidding.

[Flabby Chick]

I think it's just a matter of time before state assisted suicide becomes the norm. With bio-tech revolutions taking place all the time, we're keeping our shells going long after they should have given up. We'll have much more instances of sound mind veggies lying in beds and it'll be natural to let the patient to decide what to do. I hope people will look back in 100 years find it quite abhorrent that we prolonged life to such an extent that we are doing. (great English Flabby!!!! )

Suicide bombers are a funny old lot, or islamikasis as Will calls them. A lot of them are very young, very impressionable and not very intelligent. Some of them go into their "mission" drugged on opiates and religion. In fact i'd almost call a lot of them victims themselves becuse they are brainwashed to such aan extent. The people that stand behind them with a firm hand in the small of their back should be assisted in some form of suicide if you know what i mean.

[Neo]

I don't understand why some of you think committing suicide is "stupid." Am I missing something? =P

[snoopy]

Did everyone just skip over my post? Neo- suicide is stupid sometimes because sometimes it's very irresponsible.

[Phoenix Red]

Suicide is... an option. Like all options, it's value and detriments are wholly circumstantial.

No one berates the soldier who's been interrogated for months and manages to off himself before his next session with a car battery (except for religious reasons). But the mother who slits her wrists in front of her kids because she's depressed and refuses therapy and meds, we have a different response for.

Myself, I feel suicide is worth it if you are not enjoying life. If what your life has become is something you would not do by choice, and you see no logical way to change that, and your responsibilities are covered, it is probably the smartest choice.

That situation is pretty rare though.