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[–] Antima 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago  (edited ago)

You're asking the wrong question. The real thing we have to ask ourselves is when are we ok with a depressed person wanting to kill themselves? People have been killing themselves since humans have been around. It is going to happen. Depression itself is a harder topic. We have treatment for depression and there are things we can actively do to improve depression. Most rational people would see the value in trying treatment before trying suicide. The problem is depression makes a person irrational. A depressed person no longer thinks with reason and critical thought. So we as a people decide we should treat them against their will because we could possibly ease their condition. So now what if this doesn't work? Do we allow someone to kill themselves after we have tried all possible drugs and therapies?

My answer is it doesn't matter. Whatever we think about suicide we only have two options. Leave them to their will or continue treatment which may never work. My personal philosophy is to treat that depression as hard as I can but understand it could be fatal just like other disease.

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[–] TelescopiumHerscheli 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

I'm OK with a depressed person wanting to kill himself. And if they want to, we should make it possible for them to do so easily and painlessly. I'm envisaging a shop where you can walk in, buy a pill - no questions asked - and leave with a little notebook of instructions and a list things you should do before you take the pill (send a note to your next of kin and your bank, turn off all appliances, make sure to leave the door unlocked, etc.).

I expect that this would prove a remarkably cost-effective approach. First, there would no longer be the cost of handling botched "real" suicides: people who were truly determined to kill themselves would be able to do so effectively at the first attempt. Second, I would expect the incidence of parasuicides to decline sharply: people who "attempt" suicide so as to draw attention to themselves and their unhappiness would be forced to consider alternative behaviour, as anyone who picked a non-effective alternative to the pill would clearly not really intend to die. I would not expect the effect to be so strongly marked in males, but the availability of a suicide pill would force the many females who "attempt" suicide to seriously consider the consequences of their "cries for help". (Substantially more women "attempt" suicide than actually accomplish it.)

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[–] Antima ago 

I think a lot of people who would attempt suicide as a cry for help will likely continue doing so. It would still attract they attention they are looking for. I think as long as we are really careful about how we decide who is allowed to get the pill it would work. I don't believe anyone should be able to get it as a walk in. I believe in treatment first but using the suicide pill as a last treatment option of sorts.