Discussion At what age is suicide a justifible choice?

[ShadowOfTheDay]

I am curious about what others on this forum believe regarding age-related end of life decision-making.

Even within a "pro-choice" environment like this, I have found a very diverse assortment of views regardind suicide among youth (children, teenagers and young adults).

The purpose of this thread is not to stir up emotions, or cause confrontation. I realise how deeply divisive this subject can be. NO ONE likes to hear news of some teenager killing himself/herself before life has even begun. And so, if you respond to this post, please check your emotions at the door.

What I'm primarily interested in are the rational arguments for or against an age restriction on suicide.

I'll begin the discussion with my own point of view. First, I'll say that I hate the idea of children/teenagers/young adults taking their lives. ...the thought alone makes me sick to my stomach.

Emotions aside, though, I don't see any legitimate reason why a peaceful means of death should be restricted to the old and decrepit members of society.

Young people are just as capable of feeling pain as adults, and in many cases, they face a very unpromising future. Setting aside your emotions, and preconceived assumptions if you can, what a priori reasons can you offer for an age restriction on suicide?

 

[Youthanasia]

If you're up to 22 you're still good to start academic/professional carreer, not too old to start getting laid and probably not badly addicted to drugs.

Even when you're like 30, odds are you still have a future, but imo in a significantly less comfortable situation and usually dealing with lower potential

EDIT: Bright future for dealing with annoying diseases, odds are your health issues didnt stack up yet, not to mention that

1-Teenager hormones screw you up
2-You will get to see madonna's daughter AND possibly sophie fucking turner on playboy which really should be something

 

[Deadgirl]

At 16

 

[Slate128]

Even at 9 I was fantasising killing myself. If I had ctb then I would have avoided the next ~10 years of failure. There shouldn't be an age restriction. I should have been dead years ago.

 

[ShadowOfTheDay]

At 16

That was the age when I first began to seriously consider death, so I can definitely appreciate your opinion. But what if some 14 or 15 y/o girl is being raped or abused by her father every day? Would it be appropriate to tell her that "things are going to get better for you," or "you should just hang in there?" I mean, sometimes (oftentimes) things don't get better. And if that's the case, why should suicide be off the table for a child caught in a hopeless situation?

 

[Deadgirl]

That was the age when I first began to seriously consider death, so I can definitely appreciate your opinion. But what if some 14 or 15 y/o girl is being raped or abused by her father every day? Would it be appropriate to tell her that "things are going to get better for you," or "you should just hang in there?" I mean, sometimes (oftentimes) things don't get better. And if that's the case, why should suicide be off the table for a child caught in a hopeless situation?

Absolutely not, she should have the option to ctb. Sexual assault brings intense shame that just can't be alleviated.The age 16 applies to kids who have depression (no history of abuse)because hormones also mess around.

 

[Final Escape]

There's no justifiable age, but there are justifiable life conditions.

 

[deflagrat]

If you have money and you are not suffering too much, wait until you are 30 to decide. That's what I did. They ended up giving me disability benefits and my parents turned out to be nicer than I thought, so it was a good choice.

Now I have set the goal of living until I am 40. If my situation gets bad enough I will consider ctb, if nothing changes I will continue to live until I am 50. If it turns out that mother lives a long time maybe I will consider to live 70 years. I am not 100 % sure about what my future holds, but I am ready to ctb if it's neccesary.

 

[Kyrok]

I'd say it depends on one's reasons
Severe medical issues: as early as 6 or 7.
Life-destroying traumatic experiences: early 20s.
Depression: I think people should wait until it is clear they won't get any better, maybe late 20s or early 30s.

 

[Tortured_empath]

There's no justifiable age, but there are justifiable life conditions.

I am not even sure there are. Pain and suffering is always relative. Who are we to judge who is suffering enough to be suicidal and who is not?

 

[TheGoodGuy]

I have no age limit I don´t care if you are 16, 14 or even 11 nobody knows what you are going through so a child might suffer abuse or even torture but because they are a child they aren´t allowed to quit life? Personally had I killed myself when I was 14 I would have been spared from a lot of pain and suffering.

But my opinion won´t really matter to anyone but me since I don´t believe in Governments, laws and rules and I efilistic view on the world and also see humans as a plague/decease so the more of us that die the better it is.

 

[Roberto]

There's no justifiable age, but there are justifiable life conditions.

I would say 20 years old, but always depends on the case. There could be younger people cases in which I would understand the ctb, and older people cases that I wouldn't support for it, I suppose. Depends on the kind of problems.
Age is important. You can be depressed at 9 years old, or 15 years old. And maybe haven't tried the help of psychologist and antidepressants. At these ages and the type of illness there is still hope. If you got 40 and always been depressed all life, and don't have nothing to live for, and it's mostly emotional pain the feelings, I would support. At 40 and having lived all life with depression, there is little hope to recover. And I could understand that not having kids, partner, family & friends, it is a kind of empty life.

 

[TAW122]

I don't have really a have strict age on when someone should CTB, age is mostly arbitrary and dependent on the individual of course. What is the bigger factor is life circumstances and quality of life. If someone's quality of life is really terrible to the point where living is more suffering than being dead, then death is a better choice than to drag out the rest of life suffering endlessly.

Of course though, I don't think teenagers or kids should consider CTB as a first option (never said it should never be an option) since they are still young and still have many chances to improve in life or try other solutions. Furthermore, during the teenage and kid life, the brain is not fully developed yet and especially teenagers, they are oftenly impulsive so they may make an impulsive decision on CTB'ing rather than thinking it through and giving life at least a chance, but that's just my two cents on teenage and kid suicides. Ultimately, they still have the choice, but it should be discouraged for them as they have more chances to improve their lives and also due to the fact that most of their decisions are often impulsive and without thorough consideration.

 

[soda_pressed]

There is no strict age, I guess it just depends on circumstances mostly and whether attempts have been made to feel better (medication, therapy etc).
Although I'd say 20 - by then the brain is more developed/logical than at 15/16.

 

[LaBrava]

Although I totally respect it, it saddens me to see so many young people wanting to CTB (IRL as well as here). I think in a lot of cases it shows how harsh things have become now and much tougher financially, jobwise etc. I never managed to have a relationship, get my own place or realise any of my main hopes, but when I was younger it still looked possible, whereas so much is just out of reach for most people these days. I really feel for folks who are having to live at home in their 20's and 30's. At least I could afford to move out. Things are so fucked up now

 

[Onomotopoeia]

30 easily imo, 26 at the very earliest

I have spoke on this before but ill go again.

Up until about 26 your brain is still developing you are not even a complete person. Even aside from that though the things that change in your life from the 16 until the time you leave home and go get your own place make your whole life insurmountably different. That even continues as you stabilize into adulthood.

16 is lightyears from 18 and on your own (if you are)
even on your own 18 is very different than 25
and for many I know even 30 was vastly different than 25.

Your life at 30 wont even resemble your childhood self. You will still be you and you might even still want to CTB but the probability that your life drastically changes is almost a certainty. At some point this stops being true and it becomes more rational than emotional.




Pre-

 

[Alchemist]

I'd say it differs on experiences and issues, but 18 would probably be the ideal choice. At that point one is an adult and can realize how serious their desire is. Besides, is harder to be committed by one's parents that way.

 

[Marz]

I saw some news of a 9 year old girl who killed herself because her mother didn't let her use her phone.


My limit is 17. For a fucking reason.

 

[Quinlor]

I read that 95% of the suicide cases has relation with mental problems, so I believe it's not a problem of age but of mental health that could reach: children's, teenagers, young adults and etc.

 

[Ynoocs]

I would say 18 is a good age, once you legally reach adulthood (in the US.) Even though at this age the brain is still developing, the crazy teenage hormonal nonsense is on a steady decline.

 

[WaterUnder]

45. By then the odds of a favorable change of self or circumstances become more remote.

 

[Angst Filled Fuck Up]

I think it really is as simple as pain outweighing coping mechanisms, and that can happen to anyone at any age, under any number of different circumstances that are intolerable to them. Sometimes life can be immensely difficult but with light at the end of the tunnel, and I think people should at least try to hold on to that if it looks like there may be hope or a change around the corner. Life's a little more difficult to justify if there's no chance of things improving though.