Death as part of life - Needs, Wishes - Mental crises & Illnesses - Death with Dignity

Nobody wonders when and why someone thinks her/his life is good, joyful or worth living. But if someone mentions that she or he would rather be dead - most often there is no understanding or interest at all - all too often even the immediate family, relatives or friends do not want to know the why. They do not want to understand that it is an individual and unique perspective. There are people who have already killed themselves - who, in the opinion of most other people, had not the slightest reason to do so. While on the other hand many seriously ill and severely disabled people fight tenaciously and persistently for their lives or for a better quality of life. 

Whether a life is worth living obviously depends not only on external, objective factors. I firmly believe that the understanding whether life is worth living depends much more or completely on the inner attitude and understand one's own live and dignity. And yes there can be psychosocial factors, depression and illness - but as well real good individual reasons.

Needs, Wishes and Expectations

Nonetheless, some needs, wishes and expectations can be named that contribute significantly to satisfaction with one's own life:

• Satisfaction of hunger and thirst ... in best case by healthy and preferably tasty food and drink
• Absence of too cold and hot temperature ... in best cases availability of appropriately temperature-controlled rooms and/or appropriately temperature-controlled clothing
• Protection from danger, security from acts of violence
• Opportunity for sleep and relaxation ... in best cases physical rest / absence of negative stress
• Absence of sickness and infirmity ... in best cases staying healthy in terms of physical well-being
• Opportunity for sexual activity
• Receiving and giving love
• Self-respect, Self-confidence and Dignity

I already wrote about these needs in a former article "What makes a life worth living or to pull the ripcord"  

Mental crises and illnesses

But even if all the common requirements for a life worth living according to generally accepted standards are given -  It happens to people that they might think or believe or even know - for themselves - that their life is not worth living and wants to kill himself. I really think that the reasons for living are rational (main reason - you only have one) and emotional but it can be the same against living a few rational - for example the rational insight that there is no objectifiable meaning of life - but also irrational and emotional reasons, which are nevertheless rationally comprehensible. And yes there are or can be psychological crisis or illness, e.g. B. depression or psychosis.

Many mental crises and illnesses can now be controlled or even completely healed with medication or behavioral therapy. One should therefore not hesitate to seek psychiatric and, if necessary, other kind of help in the event of behavioral problems, changes in personality or even the suggestion/expression of suicidal intentions. But behind the illness there might be and can be rational, and irrational and as well emotional reasons of this person. And we should not force these people to live a life which they don't want.

Suicide - Death with Dignity

However, there are not only such 'not really free suicidal intentions' triggered by psychological crises and illnesses. There people and individual situations which makes it for the individual person impossible to continue living, e.g. B. because of constant severe pain, complete helplessness, inability to move or impending dementia, i.e. for understandable reasons and after careful consideration. 

It is true that a mentally confused person can also be happy, although they have no real influence on it.  But people who are used to acting independently and not being directly dependent on other people, the prospect of an inevitable and complete loss of control and personality may very well be a sufficient reason to end one's life. I firmly believe, it is appropriate to respect the will of the person concerned and not to prevent him or her from committing suicide because, e.g. B. as any religion people consider suicide as unacceptable. And these people want to rule others life and others understanding of life - thinking they know it better than the sufferer. 

I myself would find it very helpful to be able to end my life in a self-determined way at the right time, without a cruel, having to choose painful or frightening methods such as suffocation, hanging or even jumping to your death because laws, legislation, or rules of political parties or religious groups do not allow me access to a deadly medication - a drug like Pentobarbital, Thiopental  or any other  short-acting barbiturate.

Anyone who wants to have their will respected even in a completely helpless situation should draw up or ask someone else to put this will into a legally recognized /  accepted paper -  patient's provision, personal directive or advance health care directive AHCD  or as we call it in Germany Patientenverfügung and ideally additional documents - at an early stage.

 

Related Articles:

Death is a natural - it is part of life - Advance Health Care Directive

Der Tod - Ein natürlicher Teil des Lebens - Wichtigkeit einer Patientenverfügung