• Embed Doc
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Suicide
(from Latinsui caedere, to killoneself) is the act of willfully ending one's own life. Suicide is sometimes used as a nounfor one who has committed or attempted the act.
Medical views of suicide
Modern medicine treats suicide as a mental healthissue. Overwhelming suicidal thoughts are considered amedical emergency. Medical professionals advise that people who haveexpressed plans to kill themselves be encouraged to seek medical attention immediately.This is especially important if the means (weapons, drugs, or other methods) areavailable, or if the patient has crafted a detailed plan for executing the suicide. Specialconsideration is given to trained personnel to look for suicidal signs in patients.Depressive people are considered a high-risk group for suicidal behaviour. Suicidehotlines are widely available for people seeking help. However, the negative and oftentoo clinical reception that many suicidal people receive after relating their feelings tohealth professionals (threats of institutionalization, simply increasing dosages of medication, the stigmatization of suicide as a topic of discussion, etc), often causes themto keep their suicidal thoughts to themselves.
SCIENTIFIC MODELS OF SUICIDE
 Medical model 
This model, heavily influential throughout most of the twentieth century, has understoodsuicide in terms of disease: if suicide is not itself a disease, then it is the product of disease, usually mental illness. Suicide is understood as largely involuntary andnondeliberative, the outcome of factors over which the individual has little or no control;it is something that “happens” to the victim.
Cry-for-help Model 
A second model, developed in the pioneering work of Ewin S. Shneidman and Norman LFarberow in the 1950’s, understands suicide as a communicative strategy: it is a cry for help, an attempt to seek aid in altering one’s social environment.
 Sociogenic Model 
Originally developed by French sociologist Emile Durkheim in his landmark worSuicide, the sociogenic model sees suicide as the product of social forces varying withthey type of social organization within which the individual lives.
o
Altruistic suicide- product of a society that is highly integrated and the behavior is rigorously governed by social codes and customs.Ex. Kamikazes during WWII
o
Egoistic- a society that is loosely integrated; self-referentialEx. Unmarried male who commit suicide
o
Anomic – a society where individuals are neither over- nor under integrated but the society itself fails to provide adequate regulation of its members.Ex. Widows who commit suicide after the death of their husbands.
 
Arguments against suicide
There have been many philosophical arguments made that contend that suicide isimmoral and unethical. One popular argument is that many of the reasons for committingsuicide, such asdepression, emotional pain or economic hardship, are transitory and treatable through therapy and lifestyle changes.
It is important to note that the liberal view above is not associated withclassical liberalism;John Stuart Mill, for instance, argued in his influential essay
thatsince the
 of liberty is the power of the individual to make choices; anychoice that one might make that would deprive him or her of the ability to make further choices should be prevented. Thus, for Mill, selling oneself intoslaveryor killing oneself should be prevented, in order to avoid precluding the ability to make further choices.
William Godwinshowed his extremeoptimismby stating that suicide was almost always a mistake, as more pleasure is to be gained by living. As he was autilitarian, who sawmoral judgments as based on the pleasure and pain they produced, he thus thoughtsuicide to be immoral.
Immanuel Kant, considered by many to be the father of deontologism, argues againstsuicide in Fundamental Principles of The Metaphysic of Morals. In accordance with thesecond formulation of hiscategorical imperative, Kant states that "
 He who contemplates suicide should ask himself whether his action can be consistent with the idea of humanityas an end in itself.
" Kant then argues that if the person chooses to commit suicide thathe/she is using themselves as a mean to satisfy him/herself. But a person can not be used"
merely as means, but must in all his actions be always considered as an end in himself.
"Therefore, it would be unethical to commit suicide to satisfy oneself.
TheFrench existentialistphilosopher Camussaw the goal oexistentialismin establishing whether suicide was necessary in a world without God. For Camus, suicidewas the rejection of freedom. He thought that fleeing from the absurdity of reality intoillusions,religionor deathwas not the way out. Instead of fleeing theabsurd  meaninglessness of life, we should embrace life passionately.
Arguments for suicide
There are arguments in favor of allowing an individual to choose between life andsuicide. This view sees suicide as a valid option.
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...