What do you think?

ElRazur · 20 Sep 2006 at 17:42

Assisted suicide could be offered to Britons who are chronically depressed rather than terminally ill, says the head of a controversial Swiss group

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5364400.stm

I dont mind aiding the terminally in certain cases but this is just medical coporation cashing in what is just wrong in all ways. Hopefully the law wont go ahead.

sarutobi · 20 Sep 2006 at 17:44

what a lame way of escaping your own problems. i can understand suicide only in the case of avoiding extreme pain or a horrible unavoidable death.

but being mentally unfit/stable is no cause for suicide. :mad:

cleanbluesky · 20 Sep 2006 at 17:45

Depression should be taken seriously, but not indulged.

benneh · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:01

cleanbluesky said:
Depression should be taken seriously, but not indulged.

I don't quite understand what you mean dude?.

ElRazur · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:04

benneh said:
I don't quite understand what you mean dude?.

Perhaps he meant something not to be allowed in the hands of private coporations and for profits?

benneh · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:14

I don't think so El, he said 'indulged', not 'exploited'. Indulgence would imply that it isnt to be taken too seriously, more that it should be taken mildly and not allowed to (or be an excuse for) interference.

Bri · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:17

Depression is all in the mind

OT though, sounds like a crazy idea.

Phate · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:48

benneh said:
I don't quite understand what you mean dude?.

its like saying to the doctor

"doc, i'm seriously depressed"

"yeh? ok i reccomend the mach 3"

I think for the terminally ill patients, its upto them, and if they want to end their life, then they should be allowed to.

For the despressed people, then its a bad idea imo

panthro · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:53

Thats ridiculous. Depression can be treated and is cureable.

Treefrog · 20 Sep 2006 at 18:55

I think this is a very bad idea. While depressed your viewpoint changes from what it was previously, and does change back afterwards (to a greater or lesser degree). And while suicide may seem the only possible answer at the time, your view can and usually does change when you feel better.

danza · 20 Sep 2006 at 19:31

panthro said:
Thats ridiculous. Depression can be treated and is cureable.

Exactly true.

It's a stupid idea. If someone must commit suicide, why let your family know you're going to do it via medical intervention? They'll do their best to stop you I'm sure, which defeats the object of suicide entirely. Why not do as most, well, normal people do and fling yourself off/infront of/over something etc?

Stupid. Pfffft.

Una · 20 Sep 2006 at 19:39

danza said:
Exactly true.

It's a stupid idea. If someone must commit suicide, why let your family know you're going to do it via medical intervention? They'll do their best to stop you I'm sure, which defeats the object of suicide entirely. Why not do as most, well, normal people do and fling yourself off/infront of/over something etc?

Stupid. Pfffft.

Because lots of people say it because they want attention, but have no intention to go through with it.

benneh · 20 Sep 2006 at 19:44

The thing is that you're all taking depression as some sort of passing phase or ultimately curable ailment. But in many cases it simply isnt. I mean, I suffer from depression, but certainly not to the degree that I would top myself. I have however met people who suffer deeply with it, people who have really tragic (and in a few cases horrific) life storys, and depression for them is (at least I believe) incurable.
Therefore I don't really think that this is a bad thing. At least it's clean quick and humane (probably), and you can have someone with you while you die. Which is surely better than slitting your wrists and feeling yourself bleed to death on the bathroom floor, or taking an overdose and slowly passing out whilst realising that it's all been a big waste. I can't even comprehend what either of those moments would be like, so to me at least anything's better than that.

bitslice · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:09

panthro said:
Thats ridiculous. Depression can be treated and is cureable.

hmmm, there's the pill cure that leaves you like a functional cabbage;
and there's the talking cure which is scarier than whatever led you to depression in the first place.
Not to mention the various inherited versions.

curable, but not really Lemsip though is it ?

.

bitslice · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:14

theDave said:
what a lame way of escaping your own problems

I'm sure they are gutted that their suffering isn't 1337 enough for you

theDave said:
i can understand suicide only in the case of avoiding extreme pain or a horrible unavoidable death.

yep, that sounds about the limit of your understanding on this topic.
:-/

.

SexyGreyFox · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:33

panthro said:
Thats ridiculous. Depression can be treated and is cureable.

Wrong (in some cases)

ElRazur · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:34

dmpoole said:
Wrong (in some cases)

Please explain further. My thinking is treating depression is better than not treating it at all.

benneh · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:37

ElRazur said:
Please explain further. My thinking is treating depression is better than not treating it at all.

Depression can inded be treated, with cognative therapy/prozac etcetc, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But the point is that theres certainly no cure. Depression generally is something that you learn to deal with. Not something that you can turn off.

Una · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:39

Of course depression is treatable, there often is no end to it... you just sort of learn to live/deal with it better.

SexyGreyFox · 20 Sep 2006 at 20:45

ElRazur said:
Please explain further. My thinking is treating depression is better than not treating it at all.

There are those like me who ended up in a looney bin and were cured with TLC (tender loving care), the odd pill and coming to their senses and then there are those that have a chemical imbalance which can be made better with treatment.
Then there are those like one of my family who's imbalance is so bad that the lithium deficiency changes daily and its hard to keep the status quo.