Is guilting OK? Maybe, in some cases, but I think there is better 'technology' available to help those who are in a state of considering suicide. It is situational. My question would be, what do the experts do?
The people who have experience dealing with suicidal people as their jobs. Let's learn about what they do, what techniques have proven effective over time for them.
I think there is a lot of wisdom in this thread, especially by those who have been suicidal on what would have helped them. I'm hoping that if I ever have a need to I will remember and use the information presented here.
On the selfishness issue, I really see both sides. BUT, in my opinion, the final call is the individual's. No matter if the subject is euthanasia of a person with a terminal physical disease or the intentional overdose of a 25-year-old kid who does not want to live with their pain anymore, it is the exact same decision and it is the decision of the individual. . .not their family, not their society, not ours.
Our job is to reduce their pain as much as possible so that they don't have to make the decision in the first place. If we selfishly do not do that, then we have no right to call them selfish for doing what they think is best for them. Period.
The last thing I really feel a need to comment on was Anthony comment that seemed to say that suicide from physical pain is somehow more acceptable than suicide from mental pain. I have a lot of respect for Anthony, but I have to disagree with the comment, in fact, if I were to be completely honest about my own biases, I would say the exact opposite is true.
I've been in chronic pain for a couple years and I have also been suicidal from internal pain. While horribly debilitating and awful, the chronic pain never led me to suicidal ideation. My mental pain has. Heck, in fact, I seek out physical pain in my sporting activities. People self-mutilate to help stop their mental pain. In my experience, mental pain is orders of magnitude more challenging than physical pain and ought to be given the respect it deserves rather than the stigma it gets.
Thanks all for an awesome discussion here.
The people who have experience dealing with suicidal people as their jobs. Let's learn about what they do, what techniques have proven effective over time for them.
I think there is a lot of wisdom in this thread, especially by those who have been suicidal on what would have helped them. I'm hoping that if I ever have a need to I will remember and use the information presented here.
On the selfishness issue, I really see both sides. BUT, in my opinion, the final call is the individual's. No matter if the subject is euthanasia of a person with a terminal physical disease or the intentional overdose of a 25-year-old kid who does not want to live with their pain anymore, it is the exact same decision and it is the decision of the individual. . .not their family, not their society, not ours.
Our job is to reduce their pain as much as possible so that they don't have to make the decision in the first place. If we selfishly do not do that, then we have no right to call them selfish for doing what they think is best for them. Period.
The last thing I really feel a need to comment on was Anthony comment that seemed to say that suicide from physical pain is somehow more acceptable than suicide from mental pain. I have a lot of respect for Anthony, but I have to disagree with the comment, in fact, if I were to be completely honest about my own biases, I would say the exact opposite is true.
I've been in chronic pain for a couple years and I have also been suicidal from internal pain. While horribly debilitating and awful, the chronic pain never led me to suicidal ideation. My mental pain has. Heck, in fact, I seek out physical pain in my sporting activities. People self-mutilate to help stop their mental pain. In my experience, mental pain is orders of magnitude more challenging than physical pain and ought to be given the respect it deserves rather than the stigma it gets.
Thanks all for an awesome discussion here.
