Do you think that committing suicide is a selfish act, regardless of the reasons behind it?

Answer 1

Not necessarily - the seminal study in sociology, Emile Durkheim's 'Suicide,' identified how Indian widows threw themselves on their husband's funeral pyre - a practice Durkheim quite reasonably construed as 'altruistic suicide,' as the women would be unable to self-support. For similar reasons elderly Inuits will sometimes commit suicide once they are unable to self-support.

Geez, how wordy was that? I bet you can tell I'm an academic, huh?

Answer 2

Absolutely, it is selfish! A friend of ours killed himself almost two years ago and his kids are still suffering and will for a long time, growing up without a dad and wondering if they could have done or said something to prevent it. He was ill and didn't want to face life in a wheelchair. He took the coward's way out instead of working towards making the most of what he had left, which could have been a lot had he given it a little time.

EDIT to add: When my husband first became disabled we hide his gun because he was naturally very depressed. Fast forward 7 1/2 years and he's one of the happiest guys you could ever meet and very grateful to still be a live, wheelchair and all. Suicide is most often a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

EDIT to add: I agree with 'thing' (below). People who are suicidal need professional intervention. And anti-depressants can help get people over the hump so they can find a more realistically solution for their problems that seem over whelming at the time.

Answer 3

It can be. It depends on the reasons behind it. If a person is terminal and is suffering greatly I see nothing selfish about it. They choose to end their lives with some dignity. It is usually done in a loving setting with family.

When a person thinks that their life is so miserable and untolerable for reasons that can be changed with work and comittment then yes I find it to be a selfish act. They release themselves from their torment yet they create unspeakable torment for the loved ones they left behind. They create questions that no one can ever answer.

Answer 4

I think it largely depends on the situation.

Is it a childless person with a terrible illness who just wants to avoid the suffering of their last days? In that case, it's not selfish.

Or, is it an adult with a spouse and a few kids who's just going through some serious life problems? Killing themselves would leave behind a family that loves and needs them, and their problems are likely not something they couldn't work through. Killing oneself in an instance like this would be really selfish.

Answer 5

Most people contemplating suicide do think about their loved ones, and give a lot of consideration to saving their loved ones pain.

Unfortunately, despair and depression can lead to people believing that it is they who are the cause of that pain, and that the suffering of the people they love will end when the suicide is completed.

In that sense, suicide can even be considered a selfless act.

Calling depressed people names, or simply telling them to 'buck up' or 'think more positively' is not a solution to the problems they face, and can push them further into despair as they fail to live up to this kind of unrealistic expectation.

People experiencing suicidal feelings need empathy and understanding, not lectures about how they *ought* to feel or behave ~ something which no-one else is qualified to judge, anyway!

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Answer 6

That's hard to pinpoint and give an right out there yes or no answer, especially when agony is involved. Agony tears at the soul so much that it causes the person to lose their basis of logical reasoning; some recover and some do not. The human psyche can only endear so much; some psyches can endear more than others; while others cannot. This is the most honest reply I can give you. .

Answer 7

If you think you can separate suicide from the reasons behind it, you're wrong. In the minds of people who get to this point, it is far from selfish. Many of us have known people who have committed suicide and I quite frankly resent people's attitudes toward this question. It is a painful thing to have to deal with, but to have to hear that loved ones did it because they were selfish is over the top. Unless you know of what you speak, don't judge people who, for whatever reason, can no longer defend themselves.

Answer 8

Not necessarily. Some actually (honestly) think that the world is "better off" without them in it...seriously. This perception of deep, painful self-blame is a common manifestation amongst those who suffer from major depression- which by the way, many (if not most) suicidal people suffer from. And frustratingly, it's next to impossible (without therapeutic intervention) to convince severely depressed people that they are not to blame for all the world's problems, and that they are worthy, decent, valuable, loved human beings. The disorder warps their cognitive and emotional and psychological sense of self. They see their own death as a means to end the suffering of those around them- not just their own suffering. Their own suffering derives from the sincere belief that by living their lives they are negatively impacting everyone else who knows and loves them. Severe clinical and major depression the leading cause of suicide.

Answer 9

Yes especially to the loved ones left behind. I think most people have thought about suicide at least once but we always remember the good times and get through it. If you or someone you know is considering this reach out to them give them a shoulder to lean on and let them know its' gonna be okay.

Answer 10

Not all the time. Committing suicide just to get out of abject circumstances, or to prove your emohood, would be pretty damn selfish. But when you've been constantly suffering, with no end in sight, and are no longer of any use to anyone, that's OK. I firmly support physician-assisted suicide for patients who want it.