I think this might be a controversy in this forum.
I think there are different scenarios. What does it mean to respect someone's reasons for suicide? When we think the problems of an individual might be solvable and the person just has not considered some options should we be quiet about that?
It is a very thin line I admit that. And sometimes the people cross that line by not being empathetic enough.
But the wish for suicde is often ambivalent. You recognize that in many stories. Sometimes the person does not really know what to do. It is important to listen to these people and talk about all the different options in my opinion.
But on the other hand I feel like I am not made for that. The pressure to make something wrong is too high for me. I would blame me maybe forever if I increased someone`s pain. This is why I often recommend to talk to a professional or other counselors before commtiting suicide. These people are trained for such situations.
It is difficult to tell someone there are options which were not considered without sounding judgemental. It is really a difficult thing to do. At least for me. I mean I barely know the individual. I only have information which were transmitted by the writings in this forum.
My personal approach to is to recommend to think ones actions through. It is rather a cautious approach. There are some actions one cannot reverse. I am always scared to get even more disabled. And if I had made some past suicide attempts I might could now not walk anymore.
Then there is the thought the person could regret his or her decision if it was only made for example out of impulse. I think some might consider this thought as too paternalistic. And for me the society and their approach to suicide is the problem. There are no open discussions about the right to die. In my country the vast majority of the people are in favor of liberal assisted suicide laws but the politicans want to block it by any means. (Or very very restrictive laws instead). It polarizes the discussion when one side has a pretty extreme stance and labels people who want to die as "insane" per se. I mean a therapist once literally told me he thinks people who ctb are insane. "You don't want to be one of the insane ones? Don't you?"
The psychiatry does not treat people with respect who seriously and longterm want to die. This is at least my experience. No doubt professionals and their medication have helped me a lot. But if I reach my limits and I can't go on like that they will leave me alone. The society abandons people like me. It is in my point of view shameful to force these people to die brutally. I mean suicide is not illegal but peaceful means are mostly made illegal. This shows me that there is no healthy and honest debate about that topic. It is very stigmatized. And it is kind of cyncial.
I would prefer that people who want to die could go to a counselor. Someone who really takes you serious. Not like my psychiatrist who told me when I asked for assisted suicide. "There is absolutely no debate about that". I would take the following compromise. I would accept restrictions for information of lethal means if in exchange for that there was this counselor. Of course this is a hypothetical scenario and had to be implemented worlview. With this counselor you can talk about your own values, beliefs, world view etc. The person had to be unbiased. The procedure had to be for free not the fucking jokes assisted sucide organization do today. I mean sorry I don't have several thousand of euros for applying for peaceful death. (I mean many people in severe pain cannot work. And I think if you are refused your money is gone.) In my point of view this is pretty cynical because it favors the rich. And life is already way too unfair. If someone really has the longterm wish to die and is serious about it the counselor would give the person access to N for free. Funded by the state.
I think people who are only impulsive about suicide should really think it through. Sometimes they might don't really want to die but see no other option out of sheer desperation and being overburdended by the whole acute tormenting pain.
For me personally this counselor idea would be pretty good. I know many here don't trust the state and those counselors whether they are really unbiased or open-minded. In my scenario I think about a way more enlightened society with a way more mature relation to life and death. There is for example a big difference when I compare the institutions of my country with the ones of let's say Switzerland and Belgium. But there is a long way to go for all countries.
I know maybe this whole idea sounds naive and idealistic but at least one can dream about utopia. I probably will never see such a world but maybe future generations.
What do you think about that?
I think there are different scenarios. What does it mean to respect someone's reasons for suicide? When we think the problems of an individual might be solvable and the person just has not considered some options should we be quiet about that?
It is a very thin line I admit that. And sometimes the people cross that line by not being empathetic enough.
But the wish for suicde is often ambivalent. You recognize that in many stories. Sometimes the person does not really know what to do. It is important to listen to these people and talk about all the different options in my opinion.
But on the other hand I feel like I am not made for that. The pressure to make something wrong is too high for me. I would blame me maybe forever if I increased someone`s pain. This is why I often recommend to talk to a professional or other counselors before commtiting suicide. These people are trained for such situations.
It is difficult to tell someone there are options which were not considered without sounding judgemental. It is really a difficult thing to do. At least for me. I mean I barely know the individual. I only have information which were transmitted by the writings in this forum.
My personal approach to is to recommend to think ones actions through. It is rather a cautious approach. There are some actions one cannot reverse. I am always scared to get even more disabled. And if I had made some past suicide attempts I might could now not walk anymore.
Then there is the thought the person could regret his or her decision if it was only made for example out of impulse. I think some might consider this thought as too paternalistic. And for me the society and their approach to suicide is the problem. There are no open discussions about the right to die. In my country the vast majority of the people are in favor of liberal assisted suicide laws but the politicans want to block it by any means. (Or very very restrictive laws instead). It polarizes the discussion when one side has a pretty extreme stance and labels people who want to die as "insane" per se. I mean a therapist once literally told me he thinks people who ctb are insane. "You don't want to be one of the insane ones? Don't you?"
The psychiatry does not treat people with respect who seriously and longterm want to die. This is at least my experience. No doubt professionals and their medication have helped me a lot. But if I reach my limits and I can't go on like that they will leave me alone. The society abandons people like me. It is in my point of view shameful to force these people to die brutally. I mean suicide is not illegal but peaceful means are mostly made illegal. This shows me that there is no healthy and honest debate about that topic. It is very stigmatized. And it is kind of cyncial.
I would prefer that people who want to die could go to a counselor. Someone who really takes you serious. Not like my psychiatrist who told me when I asked for assisted suicide. "There is absolutely no debate about that". I would take the following compromise. I would accept restrictions for information of lethal means if in exchange for that there was this counselor. Of course this is a hypothetical scenario and had to be implemented worlview. With this counselor you can talk about your own values, beliefs, world view etc. The person had to be unbiased. The procedure had to be for free not the fucking jokes assisted sucide organization do today. I mean sorry I don't have several thousand of euros for applying for peaceful death. (I mean many people in severe pain cannot work. And I think if you are refused your money is gone.) In my point of view this is pretty cynical because it favors the rich. And life is already way too unfair. If someone really has the longterm wish to die and is serious about it the counselor would give the person access to N for free. Funded by the state.
I think people who are only impulsive about suicide should really think it through. Sometimes they might don't really want to die but see no other option out of sheer desperation and being overburdended by the whole acute tormenting pain.
For me personally this counselor idea would be pretty good. I know many here don't trust the state and those counselors whether they are really unbiased or open-minded. In my scenario I think about a way more enlightened society with a way more mature relation to life and death. There is for example a big difference when I compare the institutions of my country with the ones of let's say Switzerland and Belgium. But there is a long way to go for all countries.
I know maybe this whole idea sounds naive and idealistic but at least one can dream about utopia. I probably will never see such a world but maybe future generations.
What do you think about that?
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I think this begs to ask: "How to tell if your suicidality is impulsive."
