Do you believe that only mentally ill people commit suicide?

[Ryantology]

There are other exceptions. As someone mentioned earlier, some cultures feel that people should kill themselves if they have dishonored themselves.

I don't consider that to be the same thing as the suicide we're talking about, though, when we are talking about suicides which are forced upon people by cultural rules.

Also, people kill themselves all the time to avoid the consequences of their actions, such as committing crimes for which they face lengthy sentences. That's cowardly, but it doesn't mean they weren't of sound mental health.

Inmates who are on suicide watch are attended to by mental health professionals.

[Cinjin]

I think that anyone would kill themselves if things got bad enough, it's just that everyone has different tolerance levels. There are people who have gone through what she has gone through and didn't end their lives, some got back on their feet, some became homeless.... So does that mean she had a mental illness??

No, but technically you can't really rule that possibility out.
That being said, I've heard that many people consider suicide at least once in their life, even if it was only for a brief moment. Life sucks sometimes, and we all look for a way out of shitty circumstances. I wouldn't think for a moment that one has to be mentally impaired to eat a bullet. I do however think that they absolutely must be completely overwhelmed with what may very well be an impossible situation.

[Michelle_Patton]

I do however think that they absolutely must be completely overwhelmed with what may very well be an impossible situation.

I've seriously considered suicide many times, and while I do tend towards depression, I don't have a mental illness - just what Cinjin said. Sometimes it all seems a bit much and I can't see a way out.

[Ryantology]

Depression is a mental illness. If you're depressed to the point where you're seriously considering suicide, that's a real problem and you shouldn't ignore it.

[Michelle_Patton]

Depression is a mental illness. If you're depressed to the point where you're seriously considering suicide, that's a real problem and you shouldn't ignore it.

Fair point - I've just been to see quite a few different people (Gp's, counselors etc) and they've all said it's not clinical depression so I've just assumed I get the blahs every once in a while. It has been quite a while since I've seriously considered it, more just an occasional fleeting thought.....

I would never do it though, I have a son and sister who love me too much for me to be that selfish.

[Bob Kelso]

Decidedly not.

I work security at a hospital, more often than not in the psych section, and encounter suicidals on a near daily basis. A few of them are mentally ill, but a lot of them are simply going through hard times and don't wish to continue through life.

[Angrboda]

I read in the paper that the second most recorded way to kill oneself is by using helium, now call me thick but unless you're blowing yourself up like a balloon I don't see how that's possible, because even then something in your brain would tell you to stop, that's why you cannot drown yourself. Anyway off topic

I don't know where you're reading this, so I can't comment specifically on that. However, in the book on how to commit suicide, "No Exit," the recommended method is the "baggie" method, in which you put a bag over your head, and suffocate. If you pump an inert gas like helium into the bag, using a kit that can be readily purchased at toy and party stores, the helium gas cuts the time to unconsciousness and subsequent death dramatically.

[Mr Greene]

So being rejected by a boyfriend/girlfriend = mental health disorder now?
The bankers and accountants that committed suicide when the stock market crashed were all suffering from mental health problems?
The farmers that committed suicide during the Foot & Mouth outbreak were all suffering from mental health conditions?

[KUSA]

People without mental illnesses kill themselves for various reasons. Look at that Castro guy that held those girls captive and raped them for years. He got caught and put in prison, so rather than serve his time, he offed himself. No mental illness needed for that.

Bad example. I would argue that what he did to them girls was strong evidence of his mental illness. I mean who the hell would do that if your not a nut job?

[Ryantology]

So being rejected by a boyfriend/girlfriend = mental health disorder now?
The bankers and accountants that committed suicide when the stock market crashed were all suffering from mental health problems?
The farmers that committed suicide during the Foot & Mouth outbreak were all suffering from mental health conditions?

Yeah. Not being able to cope with stress to the point of killing yourself is not usually a sign of sturdy mental health. Those events aren't the entire cause of suicides in most cases. They're triggers for underlying (perhaps multiple) issues which may have rarely, or ever, had cause to manifest sooner... or, they are concealed well from others in most circumstances. It's pretty intuitive, as well. Many people experience hard failure in finance or relationships. Most people don't kill themselves over it. It's not normal behavior, even the reasons might make some sense to us.

I'm married to a psychologist and I'm learning these things from her.