Do you think suicidality is a mental illness?

[Beyond_Repair]

Or is it a natural reaction to living in a world you feel you weren't made for, or deciding that it's the best course of action for you given your circumstances?

 

[ThatStateOfMind]

Or is it a natural reaction to living in a world you feel you weren't made for, or deciding that it's the best course of action for you given your circumstances?

I think it's likely a mix of both. I definitely think I have a mental illness, and I think better circumstances may have helped my mental state, but it's something I'll never know for certain.

 

[Orange Cat]

I think that in some cases being suicidal is caused by a mental illness. For example there are people who are clinically depressed for years. They tell you themselves that they have a good life and don't know why they are depressed.They don't have any major problems or past trauma, but they are depressed and want to kill themselves. They don't have any logical reason to be depressed or suicidal.

There are also cases of rational suicide. For example people have a serious illness that is progressive or someone who is disabled and is about to become homeless and knows that they won't be able to survive on the street.

I don't think that in most cases that being suicidal is a normal reaction. Most people are never suicidal. There are people who have had one serious problem after another and never catch a break in life, and they aren't suicidal. They never even consider suicide. They keep trying to improve their situation and deal with life the best that they can.

 

[Deadfrogwalking]

Seems suicide is definitely partially driven by mental health,
Certainly other factors like physical well being obviously are a factor, but ones perspective of themselves and the world, based on their mental health would seem like a major factor to me.

 

[Tokugawa_Yoshinobu]

Suicide can be influenced by mental illness but you can also very much not be mentally ill and commit suicide or be suicidal. These aren't exclusive and it's a complex subject matter. Often times it's in the middle.

I do not suffer from any mental disorders at all but want to die because I see no hope in my future and desire not to live in poverty, shame or with guilt. I was abused too and have some trauma from this. So if anything suicide is mostly less due to mental illness per se but due to an emotional scar + hopelessness for the furure + stress e.t.c

 

[FuneralCry]

No, I believe the view that it's supposedly an "illness" is nothing more than an insensitive delusion invented by pro-lifers who refuse to accept that suicide is a logical solution to prevent meaningless and unnecessary suffering in an existence that was always very much undersirable in the first place.

It's insulting when people label wanting to die is an "illness" as it could never be, the problem lies in existence itself rather than the wish to be free from it and of course the only reason as to why there is so much brainwashing in society to try and make believe that wanting to die is "irrational" is because the society needs slaves.
To me actually wishing to exist is what is delusional instead, my wish to die is as a result of being aware that existence itself is nothing more than an unnecessary harm, I'd see it as very delusional to wish to exist as a conscious being enslaved in a decaying flesh prison in this hellish world filled with risks and potential for the most extreme suffering.

I see suicide as the solution to suffering, I see suicide as very logical to escape from the cruelty and futility of existence where one is just slowly dying and waiting around to die anyway. It's insane to me the thought of one actually wanting to deteriorate just to inevitably be tormented by old age, how it could be "ill" if one wants to escape from that hopeless fate. It makes little sense to label it an "illness" if one prefers the sound of an eternal sleep to having the ability to suffer in this existence they never even consented to in the first place.

 

[UKscotty]

I don't think it's a mental health issue in itself, it's usually an outcome of depression.

Healthy normal minds may think about death once in a while but not to the extent if us who want to CTB.

We are too far gone and too ill I think.

Only a small number of people actually go on to CTB though so it's a moot point either way I guess. Even people who say they cannot stand waking up must find some reason to stay around.

 

[ijustwishtodie]

I think it's a mixture of both. Mental issues can really mess a person up and set them for failure. In my case, I got a mental illness (autism) and, because of this, I'm not made for the world at all hence I have to CTB. I'm not a good fit for life nor is life a good fit for me. It's because of mental illness that I have this reaction from life to escape it

 

[Forever Sleep]

I think it varies. Some people themselves will say they have a mental illness and these thoughts came with it. I don't think you can exactly argue with a person's own experience.

How can anyone know that their brain is functioning 'normally'? In fact- I wish it is something they would get some proper scientific research done on. Psychiatry seems way too woolly for my liking to call it either science or medicine. It seems more like a theory to me!

Oh- you have these symptoms- it's this then. Imagine if we diagnosed other things like that! Heartburn victims get rushed to A&E because they might be having a heart attack! People get sent home with broken arms because they think it sounds like bruising. What other medical profession diagnoses serious illness based entirely on a person's description of their symptoms? And worse- prescribes drugs for it! It's ludicrous!

From my own perspective. I don't believe I have a mental illness. Not a debilitating one anyway. At the most- long-term mild depression. I'd actually be pretty fascinated to know if my brain is functioning normally.

That said, it's not exactly natural for an animal to want to kill itself. But then- I'd argue- humans aren't exactly natural anymore! The 'thinking' part of the brain- where suicidal thoughts come from is much younger than our primal brains, where survival instinct lives. What is normal?!! At one time homosexuality was seen as a mental illness. What we decide is 'normal' varies. In the Victorian era, acts like: novel reading, lazziness, greediness, jealousy and masterbation could see you being sent to a mental asylum!

Just the same as atheists insist the burden of proof is on the religious folk out there to prove God exists. I think we should be insisting the scientists out there prove the connection between a dysfunctional or ill brain and suicidal thoughts. I expect in some cases- they will be able to. I'm not sure in all though.

Plus, take something like depression. Some people will just suddenly be struck down with depression despite there being nothing going wrong in their lives. Other people live difficult, depressing lives. If they can't change their difficult, depressing circumstances- why would their mood change?!!

I'm not convinced they can cure either with any reliability! The people I know on anti-depressants are still depressed! Surely- if ideation comes from mental illness and mental illness can be treated- why do people still have ideation?!! I mean- sometimes maybe it can but clearly not always- hence the thousands of members here who have had at least some treatment.

Either they can't always treat mental illness or- ideation isn't just because of the 'illness'. Either way- they should come clean and admit that they can't help certain people. That way- they can be considered to have an untreatable condition and be considered eligible for assisted suicide- just the way that people with incurable physical illnesses are.

Equally as important I would argue though is the matter of competency. At what point does a mental illness become so dominant that a person no longer has competency and can no longer be trusted to make sound decisions for themselves- or others? If it truly is anyone who is depressed or suicidal- I think we should all be on benefits! I'm happy for my government to pay me to stay alive. They won't though- they'll say I'm fit to work. (Which I am.) If I had the skills and intelligence- they'd probably even allow me to do a job where I took care of other people's lives! Why? Why would they trust me to do that if I'm so mentally incompetent?!! They shouldn't be allowed to have it both ways! Either I'm batshit crazy and someone in a white coat should be taking care of me or- I'm fit enough to work and make decisions for myself.

 

[Abyssal]

I don't know, but I wish there was a cure so I don't think it's a gift or anything like that. A curse maybe?

 

[slightoverlooked]

i believe its a symptom and can be used as a sort of escapism. my suicidal thoughts get worse when I'm exhausted. for some ppl its being tired of life and just wanting it to end.

 

[nejtack]

I don't think that in most cases that being suicidal is a normal reaction. Most people are never suicidal. There are people who have had one serious problem after another and never catch a break in life, and they aren't suicidal. They never even consider suicide. They keep trying to improve their situation and deal with life the best that they can.

Just out of curiosity and interest, how do you understand the word normal here? More meaning just in line with the norm or majority or meaning something like healthy or right as well? Just because the question was regarding mental health. And I just wonder if just continuing to deal with shit happening to someone over and over again and one just continuing to deal with it is healthy or if it's maybe more the opposite and a sign of stupidity. I'm honestly asking for your and everyone's opinion here. I've been wondering this also based on the quote that "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

 

[CannabisMuncher]

Or is it a natural reaction to living in a world you feel you weren't made for, or deciding that it's the best course of action for you given your circumstances?

i honestly dont know or care. even if i am ill nothing seems to help cure it.
its like an emotional cancer.

 

[SilentSadness]

Mental illness prevents someone from using reason to justify their actions, if they rationally make the wrong choice then that's called being mistaken not mentally ill. As far as I'm concerned suicide is an inherently neutral option that everyone should have access to.

 

[sukuna]

its a perfectly normal reaction to this wretched world, I see some people commenting 'mental illness' but what caused the mental illness to begin with...? hint: (the world)

 

[John Clare]

Is a symptom caused by a mental illness. Depression is the most common example.

 

[LaVieEnRose]

It can be a *symptom* of one. That's it.

 

[onetimereject]

Given that the human instinct is to stay alive, i'd say it's some kind of a problem nonetheless.

 

[Praestat_Mori]

Being suicidal is not a MH issue it's a reaction and the result to unbearable life circumstances and other factors someone does not want to or cannot endure in their lives. Those factors cause other MH issues (e.g. depression) long before someone becomes suicidal.

There must have been a lot of things in someone's life that went wrong when the first suicidal thoughts appear - regardless of age.

 

[sanction]

I don't think its mental health at all. Like 90% of people who are suicidal have nothing much to do with it

Its as simple as we just popped into this world without warning, then suddenly we're thrown into decades and decades of school, jobs, paying bills, amongst many other daily responsibilities, just to survive and not end up homeless

Everyone you know or love, will eventually die, including yourself. And it will either be through sickness/ disease, unexpected accident, being murdered, or otherwise by suicide

Therefore its such a pointless torture. And not everyone has good health, good family/ relationships, or lots of money in their bank so they don't have to be a slave for 40 years

So in the end.... its like... why even bother?? Suicide usually just takes seconds or minutes, versus continuing to stay alive and suffer for many more decades, just to end up in same result anyway (death). So its logical

Society paints the picture of this as crazy, because the system needs people to help keep it running. If too many people are awaken and decide to suicide, then this whole system will break, so they can't allow this to happen. Don't be blinded and fall for it

 

[pasho25000]

I have always heard that it is mental illness that triggers suicidal thoughts. I suppose that we may not suffer from mental illness and having suicidal thoughts is complex in the end.