Discussion Governments restrict peaceful ways of dying to drive the "suicide is a mental disorder" narrative?

[ToANewWorld]

Governments go to incredible lengths to restrict any peaceful, dignified way of dying.

Because of this restriction on peaceful dignified ways of dying, suicidal people have to resolve to dying methods that are violent, painful and shocking to others, which in turn leads the general public to believe suicidal people are crazy and dangerous. After all, who on their right mind would jump in front of a moving train or hang themselves or blow their own brains out with a gun?

This little game keeps the conversation of suicide around mental health and the "sanity" of suicide. After all you have to be crazy to take your own life in such a violent way.

If everyone could end their life whenever they wished, without suffering, society would have to move beyond the shocks of gory suicides and consider under what circumstances someone would choose to painlessly, and out of their free will, die in their own terms.

But thanks to the wonderful wisdom of government "saving lives" the topic of suicide remains stuck as a social taboo given how shocking most deaths by suicide are to the living left behind.

 

[Forever Sleep]

That's an interesting observation. I'm not sure with these pro-lifers though. They move the goal posts all over the place. I think they would even term a death by SN or inert gas as 'impulsive' when is clearly takes time to do the research, acquire all the materials.

I absolutely agree though. I get the sense that the moment you even mention suicidal ideation, mental illness is likely being considered. I suppose they see it as a major symptom/ indicator of depression and mental illness- no matter the method the person might be considering.

I think this is very evident within the assisted dying programmes out there. I feel sure I've read on the Dignitas website that they don't help suicidal people die. I don't think they probably even want suicidal people applying. I imagine their favourite client is the: I want to live but my incurable illness makes it impossible to bear.

I suspect one of the biggest hurdles will aways be the combining of ideation with mental illness and compromised mental capacity. It exists even before we do something rash though. I suspect the attempt to swallow nembutal would be prevented just as eagily as someone about to throw themselves off a bridge- if they were able to stop it. I think just the idea of it they find crazy and dangerous.

 

[Worndown]

They seem more sympathetic to more traditional medical reasons.
I guess it needs to appear on a scan and be beyond repair for them to approve it.
Not a lot of compassion in our far right citizens.

 

[Apathy79]

It reinforces the narrative they already believe. But the reason they believe it isn't due to the methods. Go to any euthanasia conference literally anywhere in the world. I guarantee you'll hear some version of this:

"Suicide is a symptom of mental illness. If someone is considering suicide it means they are mentally ill, and that mental illness compromises their capacity for informed consent. We cannot allow euthanasia without informed consent. Therefore we cannot allow euthanasia"

I'm not kidding. That argument not only exists but prevails amongst most decision makers on this issue. The best they can do is eek out these extreme physical circumstances where they could conceive of someone contemplating suicide where they are capable of informed consent. And even that is only in a handful of countries, and usually for such extreme and irreversible pain or disease that the person will die soon anyway, and the compassion is relieving some pain in the meantime.

That's where the mentality starts. Restricting access comes out of that, pushing suicidal people to more extreme methods. And those methods reinforce the mentality they already had about it. It's a vicious cycle that's tough to break.

 

[FuneralCry]

I just see so much cruelty in how they deny the option of painless guaranteed death and wish to force and prolong the suffering and torture of human existence no matter what, it really is all just so dreadful and terrible to me and I'd never wish to suffer in this existence. I don't see how it's an illness preferring the peace of an eternal dreamless sleep over being burdened with this existence of suffering all for the sake of it with no limit as to how much agony one can feel just to die tortured by old age and I see existence as the most torturous, futile burden that just causes suffering all for the sake of it and problems there were never a need for, I just wish this existence was never imposed more than anything, I wish I never had to suffer in this existence.

 

[hang in there]

It's just a matter of statistics, whether you like it or not. Statistically speaking, over 50% of suicides are attributable to an active episode of major depression, the remaining 50% comprise of, in order of frequency, active psychosis (usually caused by drugs), active alcoholism, cluster B personality disorder, and last in line, those facing difficult life circumstances they cannot cope with (including terminal illness). You'll notice that the majority of those minorities are related to disinhibited behavior at the time of suicide - caused by drugs or alcohol or chronically impulsive personality traits. And the small remainder hinge upon stressful circumstances - which, as everyone alive knows, circumstances often change when we least expect it.
Since the majority of suicides are related to diagnosed depression, and the rest are also basically abnormal medical states, it is not a far leap to assume, initially, that suicide is a preventable medical event like any other medical issue. Whether or not those depressives are lucid, realistic, and capable of making their own decisions, is really irrelevant when it comes to legislation and practical purposes. Problem exists, we fix problem, is the line of thinking. Mental illness absolutely contributes to sucide, that is simply a fact.