Suicide - should it be kept secret?

[Nomad]

Does mainstream society still consider the very subject of suicide taboo, and what can be done to remove the stigma?


Suicide should have a stigma.

[Ciao, Bella!]

Why?

[laneybug]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Suicide should have a stigma.

Oh please. If suicide should have a stigma, then so should illness and death in general. Oh wait, all three already do.

Anyway, the point is, we live in a world where being sick (mentally or physically), aging, and dying are all fairly taboo subjects. Take a look at all the "turning back the clock" commercials and how many companies sell make-up to simply "erase the years." How many Botox ads do we see? Face lifts? Tummy tucks? Come on, let's face it. Aging = eventual death, and death in general is a scary topic for most people. So, it stands to reason that death by one's own hand is even worse. In my opinion, death is death, suffering is suffering. I see nothing weak or bad in someone saying "I'm ready to die" and they do it. Birth and death, it's all a cycle. If I get Alzheimer's someday and they don't have any real treatment by then, you better believe I'm ending my life while I still have a mind left to do it. Perhaps people with mental illnesses feel the same way? Perhaps they think they need to end it before their disease takes over completely. Who are we to know or judge or much less put a stigma on it?

[laneybug]

Originally Posted by spot

There's a reasonable discussion which includes guidelines on what's useful and what's dangerous to discuss at http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/426.pdf

"Suicide is perhaps the most tragic way of ending one’s life. The majority of people who
consider suicide are ambivalent. They are not sure that they want to die. One of the many
factors that may lead a vulnerable individual to suicide could be publicity about suicides in the
media. How the media report on suicide cases can influence other suicides".

Why is suicide the most tragic way to end one's life?? In some circumstances, I think it's the bravest thing to do.