Is suicide really selfish?

[The Brain]

Actually the weather has causes and shit, it has been found not to be "God/magic did it".

[DGuller]

I find it hard to blame a guy suffering from depression for killing himself.  To me that makes about as much sense as blaming a cancer patient for starving himself.

[Barrister]

I always find the idea of dignity in death a little chilling.

I dunno - my father-in-law has terminal cancer and they're only giving him palliative care.  What it means is that he's had an awesome summer so far visiting with lots of people, spending time with his grandkids and others, rather than being sick in a hospital room taking radical chmotherapy that only buys him a few extra months.

[Liep]

Actually the weather has causes and shit, it has been found not to be "God/magic did it".

I'm sure Fry would agree with that, but let's just equate therapists with meteorologists for the sake of fun.

[The Brain]

I always find the idea of dignity in death a little chilling.

I dunno - my father-in-law has terminal cancer and they're only giving him palliative care.  What it means is that he's had an awesome summer so far visiting with lots of people, spending time with his grandkids and others, rather than being sick in a hospital room taking radical chmotherapy that only buys him a few extra months.

Sounds like dignity in life.

[garbon]

Hmm, I don't know. I mean part of my treatment for depression involved trying to suss out reasons why I might be depressed and what sorts of things I could do to block my negative cognitions. Talk therapy wouldn't involve much if it never tried to look at any root causes.  That said, yes it really should be more focused on how to cope as that's what is imperative.

Sure. But maybe stick with that for the therapists. Friends should just try and support and certainly not start rootling round my psyche.

And @Liep - Very fair.

[katmai]

I wish more languish posters would contemplate it.

[Barrister]

I wish more languish posters would contemplate it.

ZOMG Ban Katmai!

[CountDeMoney]

I wish more languish posters would contemplate it.

I wish you the luck I never had.

[Martinus]

I always find the idea of dignity in death a little chilling.

Meh, I don't know. One of my favourite literature image is a scene from "Quo Vadis" by Henryk Sienkiewicz, where Petronius, a Roman Patrician, eventually facing a death sentence from Nero, rather than going into hiding or begging for his life, chooses to organise a feast for his friends, and then, at the end of it retires to his bath to calmly cut his wrists. Maybe I'm morbid, but to me this scene has always epitomised dignity in the face of insurmountable obstacles (which could be external or internal).

Likewise, Francois Mitterand's last feast followed by what some believe to be an assisted suicide always struck me as dignified.

[Martinus]

Actually the weather has causes and shit, it has been found not to be "God/magic did it".

I'm sure Fry would agree with that, but let's just equate therapists with meteorologists for the sake of fun.

I agree. Meterologists are more scientific and have a greater rate of success. *badabing*

[Viking]

Hmm, I don't know. I mean part of my treatment for depression involved trying to suss out reasons why I might be depressed and what sorts of things I could do to block my negative cognitions. Talk therapy wouldn't involve much if it never tried to look at any root causes.  That said, yes it really should be more focused on how to cope as that's what is imperative.

With your therapist, sure, but if all your friends and family asked why you were so down all the time I'm not sure it'd help.

The main use for therapists in this case is to identify your own triggers, realize that they are triggers, creating coping strategies for dealing with those triggers, getting friends and family to reduce generating those triggers and in general appreciating that the symptoms are symptoms and not necessarily reality.

However, if friends and family insist on being mad at you for being depressed or insist you should just get over it, there is ultimately little you can do. 

[Tonitrus]

He's back, wow.

Only those people who throw themselves in front of trains are selfish.
If you can do it in a manner that doesn't inconvenience anyone then its fine.

Well, pretty much the only way that won't eventually inconvenience someone is to go out and be eaten by bears.

And even that might if the bear gets gas.

[Barrister]

He's back, wow.

Only those people who throw themselves in front of trains are selfish.
If you can do it in a manner that doesn't inconvenience anyone then its fine.

Well, pretty much the only way that won't eventually inconvenience someone is to go out and be eaten by bears.

And even that might if the bear gets gas.

Even then the police will get a report of a missing hiker, have to go looking for the person.  Or if human remains are discovered you have to go and recover them and do an autopsy to try and determine cause of death.

[Martinus]

That's why you need to jump into a volcano.