Posted by coral on October 12, 2000, at 7:39:41
In reply to yet another reply, posted by pullmarine on October 11, 2000, at 23:42:25
Hi,
I'd like to clarify a couple of points.
1. Forced euthanasia - one of the potential risks a society faces, once it 'approves' of suicide, is that people who are disabled, elderly, infirm, mentally retarded, chronically ill, progressively ill, mentally ill, suffering from a fatal disease, or fall out of the realm of so-called 'normal' may feel pressure to commit suicide so as not to continue to be a burden on society.
2. Accuracy of some perceptions of a depressed person. We know that meds. help some people who are depressed. We also know that therapy helps some people who are depressed. (Present thought is that the highest rate of recovery is a combo of therapy/meds.) Depression causes some distortions in thinking but it also strips away some defenses, allowing extremely painful but highly accurate thoughts to emerge. It's part of the therapist's job to distinguish between the two, and help the client determine what he or she wishes to do about the highly accurate thoughts. The depression may well have been a coping mechanism. Let's consider two scenarios. In the first scenario, the accuracy of some people's lives is so ungodly awful (aside from the depression) that they choose not to continue living. In the second scenario, the depression is recalcitrant, unrelenting, and all treatment methods fail. This person faces the rest of his or her life in a depressed state which could be years of continued agony. Of course, new methods of treatment are being developed, but if a person says "That's it. I'm done. I'm not going to wait," do we have the right to tell them they're wrong?
3. Re: the post about abusive childhoods. 90% of abusers were abused themselves. However, that doesn't mean that 90% of abused children grow up to be abusers. They learn new methods of relating, loving, and parenting.Please let me restate that I'd hate to think of anyone rushing into suicide as a quick fix, and it is a horrible decision but, for some people, it may be preferrable than continuing to live. Do we have the right to tell such people they're wrong?
Speaking personally, I am and will always be grateful that I found effective methods to conquer both the depression and the causes of the depression. I am delighted to be alive. But, I also believe in the principle of choice.
poster:coral
thread:42903
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001012/msgs/46195.html