do you go to hell if you commit suicide?

Answer 1

That would depend on if you are saved. Salvation (this is from a Protestant standpoint, not Catholic) is granted to the believer from Christ who is (as part of God) all knowing and forgives all transgressions past, present and future. Once salvation is bestowed, the future suicide has already been forgiven and therefore the saved believer is spared from Hell by Grace, not by deeds.
According to most Protestant teachings, the only sin that is unforgivable is contempt for the Holy Spirit. But if one has contempt for the Holy Spirit, then one will not genuinely repent and ask for salvation to begin with. So that sin is unforgivable, primarily because the sinner refuses to ask for forgiveness and therefore never receives salvation.

Answer 2

So we have a Catholic perspective, and a Protestant (perhaps Arminian - once saved, always saved?) perspective.

Let me try to find the common ground here:

If Hell is the sentence for dying in a fallen state (or in lack of relationship), then suicide committed with the intention of denying God's gift to yourself and thereby of rejecting God's friendship is a de facto separation from God and therefore a sentencing to Hell. Remember that all sin is separation from God, disobedience being the root of it all.

Now, there's the matter of being in right mind; if you are not able to make rational choices, either due to mental illness, drug interaction, or what have you, then the intent is lacking, and if the intent is lacking, is the suicide really sin?

Further, not all methods of suicide kill instantly. A dear friend of mine took her life in a way that allowed her to remain lucid for a time. I find comfort in the thought that, at some point after she took the action to end her life, she repented and sought God's mercy.

In such cases, the fate of the soul is left to His Divine Mercy.

All in all, to answer your question, it's best not to find out by trying. If you need to talk, contact me through my avatar. I'll take a work break and call you.

Answer 3

Catholics believe suicide when committed in full knowledge and deliberate consent is a complete turning away from God (a mortal sin) and will send a person to hell.

There are 3 conditions of a mortal sin: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.

While suicide (or any kind of murder) is always a grave matter, people who commit suicide may not always have full knowledge of what they're doing. Drugs can definitely impair one's thinking, as can other things, such as diseases, intense pain, or anguish.

Therefore, suicide is not automatically treated as a mortal sin.

We are commanded by Christ not to judge others so we leave final judgment to God who alone knows each person's heart.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Only God truly knows the answer to this question.

But the Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say, and it gives me comfort.

Suicide

2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.