NEWS: Ultimate Cure for Depression?

At the root of this discussion I find the issue of personal rights. I object to any one, or any thing, thinking they are empowered to manage my life, my experience, my future. To put it very, very bluntly, if I want to live, I have to grab life (somehow) and live; but if I want to die then no one else should have the right to deny it. There are, of course, numerous levels of ambiguity surrounding that position.

Having been diagnosed with severe depression [biochemically based] 15 years ago, one of the Drs. I saw described it as having thought patterns distorted in a particular way [biochemical] that some medications corrected. It was not that I needed to "buck up and get a life", nor was it that I didn't really feel miserable each day, regardless of what I did - with the thought of 50 more years being frightening. There was a legitimate problem which I could not resolve on my own but there was treatment for which I had to consent (take the medication) and participate (keep taking the medication). For whatever reason I was not suicidal at the time but, even if I had been, I was fortunate enough to be getting competent treatment so the chances of a happy ending were decently high.

In retrospect, what came from that (and the subsequent) experience, was the recognition that if I had not had assistance, counseling, treatment, etc. I could very easily have gotten to a hopeless point and sought death as a prevention for future anguish and misery. In the darker days I still felt that death was an alternative no one could deny me, should I choose it. As a person, I DO NOT WANT someone else saying "I know more about your life than you" and controlling the direction of my life. Rather than someone (or worse, the government) enslaving me by dictating/preventing my life choices, what I needed (and received) was comfort, assistance, and knowledge - insight into choices of diet, exercise, medication, counseling, cognition, etc. The generalized lesson for me was that people who believe their lives are worthless, hopeless, or merely boring - but still have the right make their own life choices - must be provided with information, counseling, etc. so that the choices they make are made with sufficient knowledge of the alternatives, costs, and consequences. As someone else said above, the society benefits if presumably productive people are not removed prematurely and, therefore, the society must invest in trying to prevent unfortunate decisions through constructive means [prohibition is simply not constructive] by ensuring that such decisions are well-informed. The amount of effort can be dependent on the perceived opportunity - most of the beautiful people here, in late teens and twenties and early thirties, have a lot of potential to reverse any life deficiencies that may exist (including simply gaining more life experience); the older folks like myself have more concrete experience on which to make a decision and, simply based on time, less opportunity to fix things. An octogenarian, weary of a failing body, lonely after a spouse has died, and constantly in pain is, probably, very clear about their future potential, opportunities, and the costs. It makes sense for a large, even heroic, level of effort to be spent working with younger people to ensure that the exercise of their human right to live or die is well informed. A correspondingly less, but still not zero, effort will be spent as age increases - and personal experience is greater. In any case, however, a person of any age, has the right to terminate the treatment (counseling, medication, behavioral) after a defined amount of time and still retain the right to direct their own life as they choose - even to choose, for themselves, death.

Again, for me, the question is personal rights [extreme ones] and the appropriate response thereto.

Sorry for the missive length - Wes[iderata]

Wow, nice response. I agree with pretty much everything you said. One other thing, if someone is going to end their life due to depression, there should be some way to make sure the depresion isnt temporary, like from getting dumped. Sure you're depressed, but you'll get over it. In those cases, this shouldn't be an option.

Charles Bukowski.

Thanks

Charles Bukowski.

Thanks

Yeppers, it's impossible to study the history of art, invention and genius without studying the history of mental illness (usually personality disorders combining depression, anxiety, panic, anger and addictive personality). I happen to like melancholia and melancholics, and I'm afraid of a world where everyone's "happy," whether by drugs or euthanasia.

And BTW Snottlebocket, I don't have to imagine -- you've summed up my life to a tee, and I'm gonna live to be a geezer just to spite you (when you've been targeted for extinction, surviving is the best revenge)!

I don't need no god damn law that say if and when I can take my life... when I'm done, that that...

No, you're missing the point. This law would mean that doctors could help you die by giving you meds.

This is already legal in the Netherlands in a few strictly controlled circumstances; and they all involve terminal illnesses at the moment. The new law would allow people who are not ill but who are just tired of life to seek help to die.

[Edited on Dec 18, 2004 by demetrius_z]

I suppose it beats people thowing themselves in front of trains and cars...

I read this and ask myself:
What is more dumb- Life or Death?
I always say that Death is more dumb, because Death doesn't allow for change.

isnt suicide rampant enough that its reasonable to not understand why someone would need help to off themself? i can understand and am for legalizing suicide but i dont understand why you need to mass produce it
if it were really in the hands of the person wanting to die im sure theyd think about it a lot more than if it was as simple as going to the doctors and taking a nap you dont wake up from

Ya know, the pills are made of monkey cum.

if someone is depressed enough to want to die they should be given heroin on prescription

"Don't kill yourself, kill other people!!"
-Sean Kennedy

The fucked up thing is it actually took me 5 or so seconds to get that one. I blame it on the shear enjoyment of hearing the words "monkey cum" on a thread.

It sounds odd but many suicidal people are scared of pain, or don't want to end up crippled-but-not-dead. A sure way to die that doesn't involve pain or indignity would be useful for some people.

Also, depression robs motivation, so some people just can't be bothered to kill themselves.

and exactly who are we to tell these people that they aren't ill, and not in any real pain... these people who are just sick of living are in real mental pain. people are going to kill themselves either way, but wouldn't doctor assisted be better. where were all of these concerned assholes 10, 20, 30 years ago when these people could have used some real help? and I'm not talking about counseling.

I'm not suicidal, but I'm really sick of life, my life hasn't changed at all in ten years... real hell is repetition. I'm in a very lucky position, I am on dialysis, life sustaining medical treatments. when I've had enough, I have the right to refuse medical treatment, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. when the pain of living gets to a point, bye bye for me, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me. all the plans are in place, the DNR in my medical records. I will not be 60, never married, no wife or gf, no kids or grandkids, basically no family. tick tick tick time rushes by, when it becomes clear that it's too late. I would love to have a doctor assist me by giving meds to easy my passing (dying from a lack of dialysis can take up to three weeks). but a lack of assistance won't even give me a moments pause

[Edited on Dec 19, 2004 by Sportbikepilot]

"It's survival of the fittest, and I've got the fucking gun Max!"

From Pi

I don't know if its appropriate, but I like it, alot!

V_S