Stopping a Suicide

Mental illness and depression are debilitating . people take their own life sometimes when they are delusional and out of touch with reality. How can they suffer when they don't even know what they are doing

Of course G-d loves us. just because you are miserable, you can not end your life to end your suffering. You can take morphine for the physical pain. You can pray for the spiritual pain. You can try to look at your life differently, but you do not own your soul. That belongs to G-d. As someone who has had suicidal thoughts, I can tell you that one does not think logically in a depression. One literally can not see the positive side of any situation. It was like standing in front of a door and not being able to see it was open, no matter how often or logically people showed me.

Two houses I lived in were haunted by men who took their own lives.

What about those (Jewish or otherwise) that committed suicide to avoid falling into the hands of the Nazis?

If someone wants to commit suicide, I believe it is their personal choice and that while friends and family can and will try to talk someone out of those feelings, nobody should be forced into counseling or put onto medications. Granted, this is my opinion, and if I wanted to end my life, I believe it's my choice and nobody else's business.

I really think in some cases where the pain is so much that only more "harm" can come out of living further. In that case it should be ok to end the suffering and further worsening the situation. But one should always go out trying and fighting. I hope I do my best.

If it is true that Hashem loves us, he wouldn't want us to live in terrible, unrelenting pain.I believe to live in this situation can not possibly be G-d"s will. Suicide must be forgivable if it ends suffering.

Suicide is NOT evil or selfish, it is a symptom of a disease. Suicidal death is a result of a "mental illness/disease". Heart failure death is the result of "heart illness/disease". Breast cancer death is the result of "malignant neoplasm illness/disease", do you see the pattern here? If you can cure this in a person, then they will not die. I think suicide is largely misunderstood as "giving up" or "copping out". Everyday there are people morphine medicated unconsciousness to alleviate pain, but a mentally ill person is given therapy and antidepressants. My experience was that I became delusional, thinking that impending doom was immanent. There was nothing, it was in my head, my mental illness caused me to believe something that wasn't real. I slowly lost my daily function over a 6 week period. I mentioned my mental trouble to a couple of friends and my mother, and they did not know what to do and said "oh, it's just in your head". I was blinded by my illness and only wanted to sleep to stop the emotional anguish and physical agony in my stomach that came from not eating for the last 10 days. Finally the the "pain" from the "disease" overcame my "body's" ability to "cope". I took 60 pills, drank a bottle of alcohol, laid back on the bed and expected to die. I was found and EMS took me to the hospital and I came to a couple of days later. Then, I received intensive physical and mental care, which helped me to overcome my delusion. Did God make me like this, only to punish me? I think that thought would surely make me even more mentally anguished. or am I simply "ill", and in need of a cure. If someone is turning blue, you quickly help them breath. If someone collapses holding their chest, you call EMS. If you find a lump in your breast, you call a doctor. If someone talks of suicide, call psychiatrist.

suicide can simply mean a cry for help, or killing one's self.

There is often reasons one can commit suicide, though some people commited suicide out of stupidity, selfshness, foolishness, lack of understanding, and so on.

The major cause of suicide is:

[1] Shame: Shame is number one cause of suicide, so many people commited suicide just because they did not make it because of there mistakes or inability to achieve there goals, 60% of this people run out of there towns, cities or country to live in a place that they can forget the past, 20% can manage to live nor matter what, 10% chooses to become sadist, 5% of them may continue to attemp suicide from time to time, while 5% are on record.

[3] Depression: depression is one of the key act of suicide which can cause by many things, [1] disapointment [2] illness [3] desperation [4] abuse [5] racesm and more.

[2] Guilt: guilt is one of the most dangerous reason one can kill his/her self, this is because they do not want to face the punishment for being guilty. for example: a nation like thailand, a little thing can lead to life inprisonment, which is known as double death, in that case some people may choose to die rather than seeing there death or living without hope of free.dom. this people died to escape punishment. Can i call it a suicide caused by LAW? yes, it's.

[4] Over-preasure: presure can cause suicide in many aspect, presure is one of the reason why one can kill his/her self because of Fear, thinking he/she wont make it anymore to satisfy people. What a pity suicide!

[5] Belief: belief is another reason, some people commited suicide because of there religious belief, they belief that if they die they will go and rest which is lie. what a foolish suicide, Shame on them!!

[6] To achieve a gaol: so many useless one's commited suicide just because they want to achieve a goal of killing his/ her self. so many cowards today are still looking for reasons to kill there self and when they are filled ith an evil spirit, some of them want to know what death looks like, or what one's become after death. this is one of the most stupid suicide.

[7] Revenge: revenge can lead to suicide, alot of poor people today believes that there being poor, disappointed, or living with any pain was caused by a fellow, 15% of this people belief's in spiritual world that after death, that one can still operate in this seeing world, in that case they may kill there selves in away to revenge or to punish the cause of there problem. this is a suicide that can cause by living as a sadist.

[8] Loneliness: some lonely people ended up in suicide. Loneliness is one of the most dangerous thing that can happen to a male/female, it's a feeling of living without hope, some people simply see it that no one cares for them, or that they are not beautiful/handsome, or that they are the cause of there loneliness. there is many types of loneliness, for example: living without money and hope is loneliness.

[9] Protest: protest is another act of suicide, this is a situation where one's die for others by vaulent, or kill his/her self because his/her love once did not make it, especially football fans. this is another form of suicide with a cowardish reason, if am not mistaking.

[10] Habit: habit can also lead to suicide, bcause some habit's can be equal with shame.

People often mention 'what about others' suicide is selfish, because that's what your focused on, the negative side of your life. Or in some cases whatever chemical malfuncion is causing depression. You have to constantly tell youself really why am I crying? And prayer maybe the answer. Mostly I just begged for death. But it didn't come, there must be a reason then? What is the meaning of life? Pherhaps what is most difficult is that you don't know. You can only hand someone hope. Not an answer. Baruch Hashem we have the answer to leading a meaninful life. Even if you don't "know why" ("why ___" anything) the point is you can be meaninful. You can be happy. You can make others happy, and those are the people that will be, or already are meaningful to you.
I don't know who you are or where your coming from the ones who said 'it's a choice, if you want to you should be able to' but your wrong. Or you haven't thought about it, not with any real empathy. I thought that every day, many times a day. If I had really belived it, I would have tried harder. If I was supposed to go, I would have a helping hand. There have been many who died "accidentally" staging a suicide attempt.
You don't know your effect on the world. This new batch of tv seems to reflect that (Six Degrees of Separation) This show Hero's. You don't know how you effect other people, you don't know how YOU are SUPPOSED TO effect them. The point is YOU ARE SUPPOSED to DO SOMETHING. Most people live as if they are dead, and do not realize. You don't need a superpower to beleive in people. To smile. To make a kiddush Hashem by being polite. By stepping up. It's hard enough. It's heroic enough.

i suffer from depression&anxiety in addition i work in the painting buisness as a contractor since the housing crisis,bad eyesight and shaking of my hands i have realized my painting career is over. i have had agreat living for 25 yrs but im fifty now with an 8th grade education and no experience in any other field. needless to say im not having a great time right now.please pray for me to find a job and a car and mostly to keep the faith. im close to being homeless and have kids 29,24&14 my father commited suicide and it devastated me. so you also through the word of god spared that same devestation. GOD BLESS YOU!!!

In light of the world's overpopulation and underavailability of resources, is it wise policy to refuse the gift given to society by someone removing their mouth to feed from the list?

I personally think that suicide should be a personal choise and made available for the majority.

However, don't you think that it is strange that society offers a peaceful leathal injection to mass-murderers and yet people who are suffering, or in emotional pain, have to resort to more risky and painful methods!

I atemptedd suicide 3 times after my father passed away. I'm glad I didnt achieve my goal to die..I have a great ilife now and I feel that if suicide could be prevented it shoud be prevented

Many see the bad things and decide that suicide is the best way out. They dont stop to see how many people around them that it is going to effect. Even though, they're might be bad things going on, things change over time.

Suicide is a matter of prayer not problem. If someone decides to take their own life, then from that decision on out it is between that person and God. The only thing that man can do here on earth is try to prevent that person from taking their life. My own opinion is that suicide is murder. By taking your own life, you're deciding when to leave as if it were your's to begin with. God is the only way in and way out of this world that people keep making a living nightmere. I also don't believe that you're affecting just yourself when you commit suicide; you're affecting your friends, family, and aquantences. I've read countless stories of those who have taken their life and left newborn children, parents, mates, siblings, or friends behind and I cannot see how taking your life could be better than staying with those people. What you do and don't do is everyone's problem.

In life, we all can make our own decisions. That is our right. Suicide is a choice, and I feel if a person wants to commit suicide, they should be able to do so.

It is my right to chose how to go out of this world and not the right of the police to prevent it. My problems belong to me noone else so dont let what I do or dont do bother you.

Thank you for clarifying the issue.

The article on the Halachic status on siuicide is very well written. It put a lot of things into perspective. Thank you.