Do you think all people who commit suicide are mentally ill or insane?

Question

I was reading a question posed in R&S about suicide and whether or not the one who commits it will go to Hell (based on Christian beliefs). Many answers that came back were some version of "if the person was sick, they will be shown mercy; if not, if they just do it b/c their life sucks and want an easy out, then yes they will go to Hell."

If a person thinks their life sucks and commits suicide over what others consider to be a "minor" matter, or if they just can't take the pain of life anymore b/c they are fragile, are they sick or not?

ADD: Do you think it's more excusable for those you would judge to be "ill"?

Answer 1

I'm sure that some people just consider it to be an 'option' among many other options available to them. Someone I know commited suicide recently and it is extremely difficult to understand why (only his wife read the note). On the surface, he had a good job, good wife and he was an extremely intelligent guy, not mentally ill.

Hunter S. Thompson is a good example too. He kept telling people that one day he would shoot himself and then one day he did. He didn't take the position that life sucked, but he didn't want to grow old and boring and conventional.

And all this stuff about a person going to Hell, I thought it was a big no-no for Christians to judge others. If someone died, their family needs our support, not this going to Hell nonsense.

Answer 2

No I don't think so. Depression is considered a mental illness & may be the cause in many cases. Any emotional problem can make life more difficult to bear & may lead someone to taking their life, but the reasons for taking such drastic measures are different in each case. Many times it may be a broken heart over a particular life event. I think in all cases it's a choice to end the pain. A way out. I think sometimes a person feels so much grief, pain & hopelessness that they don't see any other way out. The sad thing is that there is always another (better) solution if they gave it a chance. No matter what the source of grief or pain, there is always light at the end of the tunnel if they give life a chance.

I don't think that people who commit suicide should be condemned to Hell. Hopefully God has more compassion than that. Of course it is wrong to take a life, even one's own. But I can't see a grief-stricken person who ends their own life being punished the same way as a cold-blooded killer who takes someone else's life...

There's an excellent movie called "What Dreams May Come" starring Robin Williams. It presents a fascinating version of Heaven & Hell -- the idea that we create our own Heaven & Hell. In the film, someone who commits suicide is in a sense trapped in a Hell of their own making. Since they focused on the negative in life, this is what they continue to see in the afterlife. Very sad, but seemed to make more sense than the fire & brimstone version of Hell. In a sense, Hell is just being away from God. Perhaps someone who gives in to the darkness & takes the route to end their life, has turned away from the light & God & their family & all those who love them. It was their choice to make, however desperate they may have felt.

I have a great deal of sympathy for those who suffer from depression & contemplate suicide. Some of the world's most talented artists have sadly taken this route (from Van Gogh to Kurt Cobain)...maybe because they are too sensitive, they feel too much & find life too painful to bear at times.

The important thing for someone feeling that way is to reach out for help. To hold on. Things do get better no matter how bleak it can seem in the moment.

Life is a choice. Either you choose to survive whatever obstacles & hardships life presents. Or you choose to succumb & give up.

We should never give up. We hurt those we leave behind & we cut our life short without ever finding out what wonderful things may be around the corner.

Answer 3

Let me tell you from a person that has an ILLNESS as in disease that affects my brain. So it is a mental illness. I was immobilized by the disease. For years I could not function. I made several suicide attempts. I have been found and saved four times. Did I want to die?yes. Was I angry when revived and curse the doctors? yes. Then my doctor and I found the right medications and with hard work I have a fantastic life. The catch is like any disease that is chronic I can never let my gaurd down. I take medicine that helps me to think better and keeps me alive. I am lucky to be in a position to see the right doctors get the right medicine so so many homeless are mentally ill and suffer so much.

Answer 4

I think that all those who commit suicide are in some type of emotional distress. For many it seems as though they have no other options, there is a great deal of pain involved in it.
Based upon my beliefs a person doesn't go to hell if they kill themselves (and I am Christian). I have been led to believe (and feel very strongly) that if a person takes their own life they come back...(I also believe in past lives)...they are sent back here as though God is saying "Let's try this again...only this time let's try to get it right".
I don't think that there is eternal damnation involved, and the God with whom I hold my faith is just, loving, and forgiving. Whether the individual is 'sick' or not is not for us to say, but I don't think that people make such a choice without what they feel is a good enough reason.

Answer 5

From experience, I would say that depression causes a lot of what drives some people to attempt suicide. I don't think just because somebody has depression it makes them "insane" or "mentally ill", though. If you've never had depression (and I'm not talking about the kind of funk everyone feels every once in a while) then you have no clue how draining and miserable and lonely it is. It's the worst thing I've ever experienced.

Answer 6

Anyone who commits suicide has reached the conclusion that they cannot go on continuing to live.

In rare circumstances this may be due to the prospect of torture or capture in war. In even rarer cases it may be done in a noble cause to save someone else. But in most circumstances it is because the person is severely depressed and can see no future.

Depression is recognised as a mental illness and in many cases can be treated with drugs designed to make one feel more able to cope. However, treatment does not always prevent suicide.

So, almost all suicides are due to some form of mental illness.

Unfortunately there are many amongst the living who will judge that individual without full awareness of the facts. Worse still, there are many who will use such tragedy to reinforce there own beliefs. And even worse some will try to frighten the living with threats from God. But who are we to judge the relative severity of another person's ability to cope?

Who are we to judge? Surely those who believe in a higher deity should leave judgement to him/her/it...

And I would have thought that Christians would also consider the good things such a person may have done during life to help others. Surely this is an argument in favour of 'Heaven'?

Surely the honest Christians (or members of any other religion) should not try to guess the judgement of such a deity.

If you are considering suicide, try to remember there are so many millions far worse off, with so little hope for their next meal. Try to do something good before you go. You may find that you don't want to 'go' after all!

Sincere best wishes, I hope you find a cosy cave. Good luck...

Answer 7

People who commit suicide need help. They need friends and family to help support them and keep them from that final step. Suicide is something you can't just turn around from. It is when your life has come to a point serious mental depression. Mentally ill.
I have found with Depression it is all in the head and if you put friends and family close and give a more active life then your depression will dwindle and love for life will prevail.

Answer 8

> What if a person wants to kill themselves out of personal choice, < Choice based on what? > say they feel they dont belong in this world.< Then on Which / What world do they belong ? > Everyone is entitled to their opinion so how can they be mentally ill? < If a child sticks its fingers into an electrical socket, is the child mentally ill for risking its life? And if the child then goes back to do the same thing, declaring, 'It's my choice'. would you allow this? The decision to 'take your own life' has to have some rationale, at its base. And it would be negligent of us as human beings to simply ignore this expressed wish and to not challenge it. Reasons for wanting to End It All can be perfectly valid in the mind / eyes of the person, and be of sound mind in the wanting too. Mental Illness need have nothing to do with it ...while other illnesses can. Sash.

Answer 9

There are some exceptions to consider. Assume that you have been captured by an enemy army, with no possible chance of escape, and you have been tortured and mutilated to the point where you have lost all senses such as sight, hearing, smell and touch, and every living moment becomes extremely painful. If this continues for months or even years, your attitude toward "life" would be synonomous with great pain, while "death" would be an escape from that suffering.

Answer 10

No, I do not think ALL people who commit suicide are mentally ill or insane. There are numerous reasons and some remain a mystery. Whatever the reason, people lose rationality and hope and this prompts them to be done with life.