Is suicide a sin of pride?

[blessedtoo]

Christy I’m not saying it automatically is I’m saying in some cases it could be. I have someone close to me with BPD, I know the kind of pain that comes with. My husband suffered from major depression for years, it wasn’t from pride. I was trying to explain that I didn’t think the OP meant proud of being depressed but having too much pride to seek help.

I think we flirt with hubris ourselves when we begin to speculate about mental and personality disorders.

Part of depression, part of ALL mental problems, is the inability or refusal to seek help. It is considered symptomatic of the disease of depression, as well as almost all the other mental disorders. It is not a matter of pride, even when it may appear to be to us.

 

[Christy_Beth]

As far as I can remember, there was never a time when I refused to seek help. For too many years I didn’t know there was help for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if there aren’t some out there who believe the same way. A lot of it is misunderstanding of the symtoms. Before a lot of therapy I didn’t know I had anything but depression. And that was years in the making.

Have you ever been to a doctor who refused to tell you your diagnosis? That they just want to gloss it over, act like you don’t count. How was I to know I should see a different doctor? And this covered my 14 months of hospitalization, plus at least 3 years of outpatient treatment.

Mental illness and wounded pride don’ t belong in the same sentance.

 

[Fran65]

I think we flirt with hubris ourselves when we begin to speculate about mental and personality disorders.

Part of depression, part of ALL mental problems, is the inability or refusal to seek help. It is considered symptomatic of the disease of depression, as well as almost all the other mental disorders. It is not a matter of pride, even when it may appear to be to us.

I agree completely.

I have a lot of students who want to play at diagnosing others before being qualified to do so. It also occurs in other domains when we speculate about the state of another’s soul.

Hubris is a good word.

However, it does sound to me in one of your earlier posts, Blessedtoo, as if you are making an argument that carrying out an act of suicide means that the individual is therefore mentally ill or incapacitated. I’m not sure about that.

Its an old, old debate though - mad or bad? Mentally ill or guilty of the sin of pride… No one knows except God.

 

[blessedtoo]

I agree completely.

I have a lot of students who want to play at diagnosing others before being qualified to do so. It also occurs in other domains when we speculate about the state of another’s soul.

Hubris is a good word.

However, it does sound to me in one of your earlier posts, Blessedtoo, as if you are making an argument that carrying out an act of suicide means that the individual is therefore mentally ill or incapacitated. I’m not sure about that.

Its an old, old debate though - mad or bad? Mentally ill or guilty of the sin of pride… No one knows except God.

Since the empirical evidence states consistently that of those who succeed in committing suicide, 90% are sufferring with some form of mental illness or substance abuse, then yes, I am saying that MOST are incapacitated.

Suicide is an irrational action and opposes all natural human instinct. I honestly can’t even imagine a case where it would be a “sin” but I do trust the Church in her pastoral approach to this heartbreaking dilemma.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal.
Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

Beyond my own personal thoughts and experiences, I guess I question why anyone would WANT to try and judge the state of a soul who has perished in this way. I have sought counsel with priests on the issue to help cope with my own questions about loved ones and acquaintances who committed suicide and they have all taken the same approach: trust in God’s mercy completely.

 

[Christy_Beth]

Exactly. But the original premis was that suicide was an act of pride. As I’ve already said, my attempts weren’t a matter of pride. Quite the opposite. For those of you who are close to someone who is mentally ill, or who lost a loved one who was, it’s difficult to watch. It’s even more difficult if it’s YOU who suffer from it. Especially when there is still some stigma attached to it.

 

[wjp984]

Since the empirical evidence states consistently that of those who succeed in committing suicide, 90% are sufferring with some form of mental illness or substance abuse, then yes, I am saying that MOST are incapacitated.

Suicide is an irrational action and opposes all natural human instinct. I honestly can’t even imagine a case where it would be a “sin” but I do trust the Church in her pastoral approach to this heartbreaking dilemma.

If a person is aware that suicide is wrong and that it is a mortal sin, and I certainly think this awareness is a strong deterrent, then they probably would end up in Hell if they do kill themselves. Of course none of us know how many people who commit suicide are aware of their actions and can just trust in God’s mercy.

 

[twinklers]

Suicide happens when a human being has become so locked up inside themselves that they lose the ABILITY to communicate their dispair and find themselves in such a state of emotional pain and dispair that they can no longer endure it.
I have never been in that much pain. I know that I haven’t because I am still alive. Anyone who believes there is a simple, across the board, common sense answer to this phenomenon has never experienced the sudden devestating loss of a loved one in this manner. To say it could have been avoided by using some magic common sense formula is to condemn all those loved ones who were unaware of this impending disaster along with the one who died.
Pride? Really?
All sources of pride come from accomplishments real or imagined and give a false sense of superiority. All the suicide survivors I have EVER talked to and shared with have lost loving, kind, compassionate, humble friends and family members who, if anything, were lacking in ego to a point of mental illness.

 

[RosaryFan]

Hi everyone. A friend told me that suicide is a sin of pride. Is this true?

I think it is a sin of despair, but also pride. Pride because you’re sort of saying to God, “My sins are sooooo bad that not even YOU can forgive them”. Know what I mean???