RIP Whitney Houston, :(

[corthew]

Nope, I plan to be immortal. LOL!

Immortals can die though...over and over again. That's part of the fun of being immortal.

[Armanus]

I hope you never get to the position where you realise that the only solution is to end it all. Many, many people unfortunately do.

Well, like Lucinda I have immortality penciled into my bucket list

I have to disagree in part to the implication in what you said though. It's one thing if you face terminal illness with no quality of life and no chance of recovery to consider ending life. But to "realize" that killing yourself is the "only" solution because you are in a bad place, depressed, or don't see a way out....that's a choice, not the choice. Just like life, situations are temporary, and if there is anything within your control, there is opportunity to change it. Ending it all simply robs yourself of that opportunity to live and heal, and of those who care about you to have you in their life. In this context, it's not a solution. Ever. It's a cop-out.

I know that's not what you meant, that you were talking about perception of circumstances, but I'd hate to see any depressed members read that and say "you know what, he's right!"

My best friend when I was young killed himself. That was almost 30 years ago. I still think about him, wonder if I could have done anything different, think of where he would be right now, what he would be, if he had chosen life. I won't wish that on anyone.

[primaveranz]

Just like life, situations are temporary, and if there is anything within your control, there is opportunity to change it.

You disprove your own argument there I'm afraid.

Sometimes there really isn't anything within your own control, (or anyone else's).

It is nice to think that you could be "rational" when you were in that situation. However the point is that when people are in that position what they do often IS rational (note no quotes).

I won't comment on this again though as I can see how it could be taken wrongly.

[kkffoo]

I think for some people it is a thought through decision, and there's nothing anyone could do to intervene, but many others are in a state of ambivalence, it seems not to matter whether they live or die, and the intervention of another can make a difference, until the point at which they (hopefully) are in a better place.

[corthew]

Sometimes there really isn't anything within your own control, (or anyone else's).

That's not true actually.

There are alot of reasons to purposefully take your life but generally they boil down to one thing:

You have the perceived impression that others are trying to deny you your right to control your own life or that events are moving to deny you choices, and you need to prove that they're wrong.

Maybe you're proving it to them...Maybe just to yourself.

Maybe you're just proving that you don't need to suffer anymore regardless of other's wishes.

The way past the moment is to just let go and let the moment take you where it will but for some that's just unacceptable.

I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong.

Sometimes that moment can only lead to a worse place.

But taking your life is an assertion that you do have control.
Its not an indication that you have no choice.

[Armanus]

Well put.

It is nice to think that you could be "rational" when you were in that situation. However the point is that when people are in that position what they do often IS rational (note no quotes).

I won't comment on this again though as I can see how it could be taken wrongly.

I'm not trying to draw you into commenting further, I get what you are saying, but I just have something to add. I wouldn't say that their position makes the choice rational, rather the choice becomes rationalized due to a skewered perception. Addicts do it all the time to justify their behavior, for example. I think we all do it to a degree, but just because we rationalized something doesn't necessarily make it rational. Is perception a choice then? Would that be the question? I believe it is. I know sometimes depression can be physically induced as much as it is psychologically, but I think ultimately everything we do amounts to a choice we make. We choose how to respond to a situation. We choose to believe something is much worse then it is. Life is largely what we make it out to be, mostly by how we choose to face adversity.

I can certainly see how difficult it can be to see the forest for the trees when you're in that situation. I've been there. But suicide is a choice. Depression isn't a choice, but how you react to it can be. That doesn't make it any easier though. If it was, there would probably be a lot less.

[lucindamc123]

Well we really won't know what caused her death until the toxicology results come back. It may have been a combination of Xanax and alcohol which is pretty serious and it may not have been intentional at all. It is all just really sad.

As far as suicide goes. I have known people who have done this and it is very sad indeed and I never understood it at all. Of course since I am older now, life is just more precious than ever. Heck, I might only have another 15 years left to live and that seems so short. My father died at 70 and my mother at 80. But I am lucky. I have no medical problems at all and never have.

[corthew]

Of course since I am older now, life is just more precious than ever. Heck, I might only have another 15 years left to live and that seems so short. My father died at 70 and my mother at 80. But I am lucky. I have no medical problems at all and never have.

(Wondering if Prima can resist commenting on that.)