Is attempting or committing suicide because of depression/bipolar disorder justifiable? Why?

Question

There are several general issues pertaining to my asking this question:

ASIDE FROM religious perspectives,
(1) is depression unforgivably selfish? Why?
(2) is attempting/committing suicide immoral? Why?
(3) is euthanasia (in the traditional sense of termination of life due to 'biological' illnesses) immoral? Why?
(4) are the principles of suicide and euthanasia the same? Why?

Lastly,
(5) is depression/bipolar disorder as 'legitimate' a disease as, i.e., cancer? Why?

I am curious about the general consensus of the answers to these questions. Please explain your answer thoroughly so your train of thought is sufficiently conveyed. Thanks!

Crap, sorry, I posted this question like 3-4 times. Stupid internet.

Additional note: I am not considering suicide, just taking a survey on the matter. I'm fine! =)

Apologies for dictating that the answer had to be from non-religious perspective. I wrote that because I have already explored that perspective concerning my question. In retrospect, I shouldn't have restricted it like that because that's part of the answers of many people.

Thanks to everyone who answered my question. I'm trying to choose a best answer, but it's tough, because pretty much everyone who answered the questions in depth made good points at one point or another. I keep vacillating from choosing one to choosing another...but I'll have to decide soon. Random note: Jen, I'm a psychology and sociology major too! =P

Answer 1

1. No, it's not. The person is being selfish in a lot of cases (though not all), but they don't know that they are. I've been there, and it was a shock to realize all of a sudden that I was being selfish, because to me all it felt like was horrible misery. That's not to say that depressed people should never be given some tough love - after all, that's often the very thing that snaps them into reality again. But care should be taken, most definitely.

2. Hard to say. You would have to know what's going on in the other person's head, and since morality is a subjective concept that varies from person to person, I can only answer whether it's immoral to me or not. To me, it is rarely immoral, because more often than not, a suicidal person - someone that really wants to die (as opposed to someone that is just crying for help) is too far gone to be held to some moral standard.

I would think it immoral for someone to threaten suicide or attempt suicide as a means to manipulate another person and with little intent of actually dying - in other words, being a major drama queen (or king).

3. Absolutely not, and it should be legal. In this sense, we are kinder to dogs and cats than we are to our fellow humans. Being forced to remain alive and in horrible pain when you want it to end is nothing less than torture. There are things worse than death.

To say that it's murder (in response to the above)... let's go back to the example of cats and dogs. Animal cruelty is a crime. If you kill your dog, you can be charged with a crime and sent to jail. However, we don't call it animal cruelty when we put them to sleep. Human euthanasia is NOT murder.

4. No. Suicide is the permanent end to a temporary problem. Euthanasia is the permanent end to a permanent (and horrible) problem.

Euthanasia is self-inflicted death whether assisted or done alone to end a terminal, degenerative, or debilitating disease and the suffering experienced from that condition. Does not have to involve a second party.

5. We don't have enough information about the brain to understand mental illness as fully as we do a physical ailment like cancer or diabetes. But I don't think the two conditions can be compared.

Both are legitimate conditions, yes. I'm not sure what it would imply that they are both real and legitimate ailments, however.

Answer 2

I more than likely won't be able to cover all your questions, but maybe I'll be of help with the ones I do get to.
1. Depression/ bipolar in itself is not selfish, it is a disease, like any other disease which makes a person sick. What would cause it to become selfish is by knowing you have this problem and continually doing nothing.
2..I wouldn't be able to say attempting/commiting suicide is immoral, but I can tell you THAT would be SELFISH.
It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. It is an act in which the person is ONLY thinking about themselves with no thoughts as to what it will do to the ones left behind.
It will have a major negative impact on all family members, but I believe it will be worse for the children in the family. If it is a parent committing suicide, they will think their parent didn't love them because look what they did... And maybe it will put into their minds that if things are ever "tough" for them the solution is suicide...
3. As far as euthanasia is concerned, I believe that is a different thing altogether than a person's right to die with dignity. If the only way you can ever live the rest of your life is by being hooked up to machines, I believe it should be your right to refuse that. Such as a DNR (do not resuscitate).
4. I believe the other answers covers this one pretty much.

5. And yes, depression/bipolar is a legitimate disease. Why? Because their is an imbalance of required chemicals being produced in that persons body.
It has been studied and proven it is a clinical disease. If you want to know more about the how of it, you should visit a website such as webmd.com.
Hope any of this helped you.
If it is you considering suicide, you should go to a doctor as soon as possible. And I would have to say that if it is you, it would definitely be unforgivably selfish since you had the frame of mind to ask these questions.....

Answer 3

people will be very sad if a person commits suicide. and even though they may not believe it now, that person (were they alive) might come to regret commiting suicide. they should seek help.

1) depression is not unforgivabley selfish if it is for real, no way. depressed people may believe it is selfish of themselves, but it happens-- they usually can't help it. not their fault.
2) that is a hard question. i guess in a way... it kind of is. hurting people is immoral, the sucide (noun form) is a person, and by commiting suicide that person is hurting the people around them (even in the physical sense grieve ages, and increases the risk of all sorts of diseases)
3)euthanasia could be immoral for the same reason but it is a little different. the family may know what is going to happen, or be gone. occasionally under certain circumstances euthanasia for the very old or very comatose brain damaged people MAY be okay...kinda. I'm not sure.
4) Not exactly if i was brain damaged and comatose for a long time I would want the plug to be pulled. I explained the differences above. suicide should never happen, unless maybe its an honor thing in a war. like seppuku. I'm being awfully blunt sorry bout that
5) I think that definatley it is legitimate, I think that it is very different though. Cancer is a mutation of a body cell. Depression is a disorder of the mind. a pychological disease and a physical disease. but, yes, it is legitimate. and it should be treated, but not overtly with drugs-- those usually don't make the root cause go away, therapy plus drugs if they are needed is the best treatment.

Oh, and I assure you my answers are not in the least bit religious as I am athiest
just answering your questions, i hope i helped :D also I deeply hope you are just intellectually curious and arn't comtemplating suicide yourself. PLEASE DON'T DO IT. I know how you feel e-mail me if you need someone to talk to.

Answer 4

1. Depression is a medical condition and is not something done purposely. So I would say it is not a selfish act but rather an illness.

2. Suicide is immoral. In my religious point of view, there is absolutely no reason why any human being should take his life through his own hands. Only the Supreme Being (God) has this option.

3. This is a very good question and one still open for debates. Personally, it all boils down to my answer on your 2nd question. Any means by which we kill someone is considered a murder. That, I think, is black and white true.

4. Yes, they are. Excuses rooting on the same issue of medical condition as a means of cutting one`s own life.

5. Both are diseases that are to be treated. No one I know chose to become depressed or go through a bipolar disorder. It is a condition that needs careful examination of the individual`s brain and not a willful choice by the individual.

Answer 5

Psychiatry is not a complete science and not very much is known about the inner self or the brain and how it works. This branch of medical science seems to go no further than good or bad advice and a lot of guesswork.

People tend to think that religion is a priest and mumbo jumbo although they may claim to be religious when it comes to comparing themselves with others and discriminating against others, but the religious perspective is for real and when it comes down to suicide, the Evil One or the Evil Whisperer is lurking somewhere within the victim and in many cases is described as "a voice" speaking to the depressed.

This is where the "religious" departs from the claim of superior belief and pretends not to hear the voices, since voices are not medically scientific.

As for justification, the victim may have been taken too far by then to be able to resist the voices and may only be paying the price more than being a willing party to the pact with the predator.

Truth does not only offend but may also be stranger than fiction.

There is no other way to reply to your question without risk of being too religious.

Answer 6

1)Depression is a chemical imbalance. It can be treated with medication. No, it is not selfish or unforgivable to suffer from depression.
2)Yes, suicide is immoral, because we don't have the right to take our own life.
3)Euthanasia immoral? Depends on who this is happening to.
4)No, the principles are not the same. Suicide is self-inflicted. Euthanasia is not.
5)Yes, all of those are "legitimate" diseases that require medical attention. Yes, like cancer. If they can be improved by medical treatment, then they're legitimate.
You might want to start a thread for each question. It's overkill.

Answer 7

Good questions. One of my sisters committed suicide. She was clinically depressed (and had some other serious emotional and psychological issues). So I have, perhaps, a different view than some may have.

I'll answer your questions in order:

1) Depression cannot be seen as selfish. It's not within the sufferer's control to have depression or not (especially if it's due to a chemical imbalance).

2) Suicide...immoral? I think yes. My sister attempted suicide many times before actually succeeding. Her attempts were always followed by phone calls to either 911 or someone she knew could help. She didn't really want to die...she just wanted to end her suffering. There's a difference. Be that as it may, taking one's life or attempting to do so is a choice. Certainly there are mitigating factors, but it's still a choice. It is a selfish act...one that thinks only of "self" rather than those left behind. Intellectually, I understand how someone (especially my sister) can reach the pit of despair that shuts out all thoughts but ending the misery. But it still boils down to a choice. (Now this doesn't include my thoughts on assisted suicide. I'm ambivalent about that...which I suspect may be what you're getting at.) Anyway, suicide is immoral because it hurts others...but it's not unforgivable.

3) Euthanasia....immoral? This one is a little tougher. I empathize with people who have loved ones with terminal or chronic illnesses. There have been both in abundance in my immediate and extended family. Wanting to help someone end their suffering is a loving and natural response. But it's a slippery slope we tread when society as a whole starts to demand the legalization of assisted suicide for the very reason that it can and probably will lead to euthanasia. Who should be allowed to be judge over someone else's life? Who can make the judgment that someone's life is "undignified" or "degraded" to the point that death is a preferred state? These judgments are based on our own assumptions regarding quality of life. How much do we actually know about the state of mind of the very person we wish to "help transition"? Isn't it possible that we could someday start pushing out from the hospitals our elderly and chronically sick because it's too expensive to treat them? Even if treating them meant an extension to and a better quality of life? Even if it's not *our* ideas of quality? I understand the impulse towards euthanasia...but *I* can't take the next step in actually doing something towards that end that involves taking life. To me, taking life (however that life exists) is immoral. (Unless it's in self-defense.)

4) Principles the same? Similar, but not quite the same. Suicide is self-inflicted death. Euthanasia is others-inflicted death. Suicide, in my opinion, is always a selfish act (really, by its very definition). Euthanasia really could be motivated by many different things. But I think most often nowadays it is motivated by love...by a desire to end another person's suffering. At least I hope so!

5) Legitimate disease? If depression or bipolar disorder are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, then it certainly is legitimate. Depression can also be brought on by a hormonal imbalance (as seen in women with post-partem depression). These are very real medical issues that should be dealt with medically. Sometimes depression is caused by circumstance, or exacerbated by chemical dependency (such as alcohol). These "emotional disorders" can be treated through counseling and behavioral therapy. I think prescription meds are too often given as a first line of defense. But chemical imbalance is not circumstantial. It cannot be a chosen state. Therefore, it certainly is a legitimate disease...one that can be treated with medications in the same way cancer can be treated.

[UPDATE, Next day: Here's an interesting article regarding euthanasia during hurricane Katrina: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20060721/ts_csm/amercy]

Answer 8

depression is not selfish, it happens to everyone at some point, mostly it's no something people should be taking pills for. doctors just don't want to deal with it and drug companies want to make money. instead of helping doctors throw pills at the problem and then "counsel" the person. what they are really doing is milking as much money as possible.
suicide is selfish, i don't think it's immoral though. i don't think euthanasia is immoral either, as long as the person has a disease that will kill them in a slow and painful way, and the decision is all their own.

Answer 9

Here is all that needs to be said, on my part.

I believe that suicide is the most selfish act a person can commit. Regarding your questions of underlying reasons for suicide, the answers are obvious, but still yet, others are left hurting. It is a selfish act.

Personally, I am VERY unhappy with life, but to abandon my family to satisfy my need for peace and tranquility (nothingness is preferable to living this life) would be purely selfish and would hurt my kids.

So I will just hang out and wait for the relief to come naturally and HOPE all those who claim I'll be reincarnated to live again and again until I get it right, are WRONG. God knows, if he exists, that I DO NOT WANT TO REPEAT LIFE.

Answer 10

Depression IS a disorder, a legitimiate one if doctors, esp. specialists like shrinks, verify it. Doctors believe it is caused by a malfunction in certain areas of the brain or inability to make certain chemicals in the brain. Some believe that is simply caused by lack of proper nutrition, which in turn will cause problems in the proper function of the part of the brain concerning mood.

Since you did ask whether suicide is immoral (ironically, a religious question), according to almost all religion, it is. "Thou shalt not kill". Irregardless whether it is killing others or yourself. Read Dante's Inferno for the appropriate punishment in the afterlife. Illegal? also yes in most countries and US states.

Suicide is killing oneself. Euthanasia is helping someone else carry out their own death "to ease their suffering". Quotation marks are there because this can be debatable. People have the right to life, but do they have a right to death?

Emos have been known to attempt suicide to solicite sympathy from others, esp. from family. Similar disorders would be Munchausen syndrome,where the patient fakes illness to solicite concern from doctors, family and friends, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, where a parent purposely makes a child sick to get help and sympathy. Example, the rapper Eminem accused his mother of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Hope this clears things up.