A coward does not do suicide !

Neither brave nor cowardly. It seems to me to be an act of desperation. Trying to shame as cowards people who contemplate suicide will have no effect.

Coward. I don't advocate suicide, unless you have a debilitating condition. Two people have tried to kill me. I'm stronger than death...

No two suicides are the same. It is not black and white, but layers upon layers.

False.

Hi EmeraldJewel, good post! My response will probably seem to echo the previous ones regarding the aversion I feel toward the idea that a Suicide victim gets the label of “coward” based on his or her last impression on society (at their life’s most miserable point) but even though it seems rather obvious to most people in possession of the capacity to feel sympathy that Suicide is a tragedy for which grief should be felt for the deceased and loved ones of him/her, I still think it’s a very important question to ask bc a lot of people find comfort in classifying the miseries of others as melodramatic, selfish, or an over-reaction rather than acknowledge that these people are suffering beyond what they can bear, and to a degree that those who callously dismiss them as cowards most likely couldn’t begin to imagine. I ultimately have come to look at Suicide not as a sign of weakness due to someone’s lack of gratitude for the good things they have in life or foolish impulsivity, but simply as devastatingly tragic evidence that someone has been pushed to the absolute limit of what they can bear, and then across it. We all have breaking points, and none of us are “above” the risk of suicide or stronger than those who do fall prey to it

False. No one asked to be here and they should get to leave whenever they want. There is no "test."
It does however really screw up the people close to them so they should consider not whether it's cowardly but whether it might hurtful to loved ones and friends, if they even care. All that being said, you only get one chance to be here and people can make miraculous recoveries and comebacks and many have overcome horrible odds and come out the other side.

Not cowardly, but foolish and stupid. Would be the words i usually use. There always a way to fix whatever problems one might have..

Suicide is irresponsible. The ones left behind have the hardest job.

No, not cowardly, but sad and desperate. The sign of alienation and a harsh world to me.

Here is how I see this question.
Is divorcing a forced marriage a cowardly move or not?
A lot of forced marriages do not end up in divorce because not always the relationship is bad.
People used to marry this way for thousands of years. Having a right to divorce is a very important right because in a lot of cases forced marriages are bad.
Same thing is with life nobody gave consent to be born into this life. Some may have a really bad life with lots of suffering in that case of course is important to have the ability to choose to die in dignity. It is sad that nowdays someone has to travel as far as Switzerland to have the right to divorce life.

i wonder how many killed themselves thinking they were going to heaven....

No....

I think it is a rather courageous act.

Sometimes its the bravest thing you can do

I can't help but think it's selfish. My mom had bowel cancer and tried everything to stay alive. A friend's 17 year old had a brain tumour and passed away 4 months after being diagnosed. His parents fought so hard!! People committing suicide have their whole life ahead of them and they decide to end it...

False.

I wrote my suicide note last year. No one tells you how hard it is - what do you say? I mean, it's your final statement, right? So you want it to be completely on message.

I then spent a comfortable hour in a hot bath with my weapon of choice - a box cutter - until I decided it was not for me. Not at that time, anyway.

And I burned that fucking note to ashes.

No, I don't judge anyone who voluntarily checks out.

False

For me I don't have the insight to come to a true or false answer. I'm on the outside looking in.

When someone is depressed they are at risk for suicide, and it is not a matter of cowardice, it is a matter of your brain going to a really dark place where you don't - literally - see the light at the end of the tunnel. In those cases it is not a matter about being a "coward" about facing life, it's about this intense sense of "hopelessness" brought on by their depression. If you've never felt it, then it's hard to understand what that is like and how that can cause someone to take his/her life. It's tragic because those who manage to do it, I suspect, they where trying not so much to end their lives, but to end that hopelessness in their lives. Many come to think that ending their lives is the only way to end the hopelessness inside. It is extremely hard to reason properly and maintain perspective when in a deep depression. That I know. That is why depression is dangerous and must be treated head on.

Then there are those who want "medical" suicide due to some terminal illness, and they just want to die with dignity. Neither case needs "judgment." What is needed is a greater understanding of the phenomena in either case.

so absolutely false.

False. If you’ve ever dealt with crippling depression you wouldn’t ask this question.

I don't think people who are suicidal need to be judged. Suicide happens when the pain is so bad you cannot imagine a way out. It is mental illness. Until you have been there you will never understand, and I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.

My father was dying of prostate cancer that had spread to his skeleton. Bone cancer is extremely painful -- in many cases doctors just have to sedate the patient into unconsciousness until they die, often moaning in pain. He was 76 years old. He decided to choose the timing of the end himself, however in 1996 it was difficult to find a guaranteed way to kill himself that would not involve someone else -- often someone who was involuntarily involved. He did a lot of research and discovered that refusing food and water is a relatively painless way to die. Within a few days, hunger and thirst subside and as long as pain is controlled, nurses rated it as a 'good' way to die. This took him 21 days of choosing every morning to continue on this path. I do not see this as the act of a coward. I was impressed with his determination.
As to the family's suffering, he was going to die anyway. He was not creating any new suffering that wouldn't have occurred anyway. I hope that if I find myself in a similar situation I can follow in his footsteps. I will have the option, however, of using a more humane techique.

I don't know how you can judge another on an issue like this. Sometimes the darkness wins. If you have never been depressed, help someone who is. Reach out to those you love. We live in difficult times. Be kind.