Suicide

[MonjaFutura]

Do people who commit suicide go to Heaven or Hell or what? I’ve heard a bunch of different things on this subject but I’m not sure which is official. (Even if you would say that they all go to Heaven, that wouldn’t make me more inclined to do it. Just so ya know.)

 

[Catholic1954]

The Church’s stand used to be that taking one’s own life was a mortal sin, and went so far as to deny burial to suicides in consecrated ground of Catholic cemetaries. Now a days, the Church recogonizes depression as an illness and leaves the fate of the poor soul who chooses to take their life up to the (perfect) mercy of God.

 

[manualman]

Objectively speaking, suicide is gravely sinful. It is an action of despair, one in which the person makes the ultimate rejection of God’s gift of life to us. If committed with full knowledge and consent, it’s mortally sinful, i.e. hell.

That said, suicide is often, maybe almost always the outcome of a serious mental health problem. That can mean that it is NOT committed with full knowledge and consent.

Ultimately, only God is capable of judging culpability for sins. We can know principles, but lack the capacity to apply them perfectly in situations and to people whom we can never know the way God does.

In short, they are at the Mercy of God, who will honor their deepest choices to accept Him or reject Him.

 

[AdamP88]

This is the Church teaching on suicide according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

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.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.

Therefore, while it is a sin, the Church does offer hope for the salvation of those who take their own lives - especially those who are burdened with a psychiatric condition or mental anguish.

 

[tm30]

Suicide is objectively grave sin. Whether or not a person makes that choice in complete freedom is another story. That said, although we cannot know for certain the fate of those who commit suicide, we live in an age that trends toward permissiveness of suicide in the mode of euthanasia, and likewise, we have become more liberal in defining psychological impairment. Aren’t we all psychologically impaired as evidenced by our concupiscence (the illogical desire for perceived good instead of absolute good)?

That said, my prayers go out to anyone burdened by the terrible weight of self-destruction. By promoting the culture of life, over time, we will see despair replaced by hope.

 

[MonjaFutura]

What if it’s committed because you can’t stop thinking about it and want to stop feeling like poo? It’s not like there’s anything really terrible in my life but i think it’s a mental thing and i get this impulse to do it and if that lasted a few minutes i wouldn’t be able to think it through.

 

[AdamP88]

What if it’s committed because you can’t stop thinking about it and want to stop feeling like poo? It’s not like there’s anything really terrible in my life but i think it’s a mental thing and i get this impulse to do it and if that lasted a few minutes i wouldn’t be able to think it through.

Does you or someone you know feel this way?

 

[MonjaFutura]

Does you or someone you know feel this way?

i kinda do like it’s not all the time and i won’t actually do it cuz i have friends and family to leave behind but i’m so sick of thinking of it and feeling like this. i’m kinda bipolar so i’m not perpetually depressed but i was on a real high for a while and now i’m on an equally huge low.

 

[MonjaFutura]

Adam, can i pm you?

 

[AdamP88]

Sure

 

[Gregorian_Apolo]

What if it’s committed because you can’t stop thinking about it and want to stop feeling like poo? It’s not like there’s anything really terrible in my life but i think it’s a mental thing and i get this impulse to do it and if that lasted a few minutes i wouldn’t be able to think it through.

every time you feel the slighest desire or inclination to commit Suicide get it OUT of your mind and pray say short invocations like “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us”

 

[Irishgal49]

i kinda do like it’s not all the time and i won’t actually do it cuz i have friends and family to leave behind but i’m so sick of thinking of it and feeling like this. i’m kinda bipolar so i’m not perpetually depressed but i was on a real high for a while and now i’m on an equally huge low.

Hi,

I’m a mental health social worker and I work full-time with mentally ill adults with bipolar disorder. I also have the condition myself. You sound like you are not properly regulated with your medication. We will always have up and down moods, even normal people have that. But you should not be having the extreme swings you are talking about. You need to see your psychiatrist for evaluation or call Catholic Charities or Community Mental Health in your community if you dont have a psychiatrist.

I was having radical mood swings and I was given a simple mood stabilizer and after that it was like I woke up. I could see colors brighter, I felt less radical swings. I would occasionally have a crying jag but it didn’t last as long and I could actually talk my way out of it. I used to spend entire work days staring at my computer screen and now I feel productive and am “back”. One pill in the morning and one at night and I feel 100% better.

Sometimes you can be on medications for years and they stop working or you system becomes immune to them. A mood stabilizer will take the severity off the mood shifts so they are more in the normal range. Without proper treatment there is an 85% chance a person with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide. Please get help now. God loves you and there is great help available now and meds that weren’t even around just 2-3 years ago.

I will pray for you, (really)

Lorrie

 

[TheRealJuliane]

What if it’s committed because you can’t stop thinking about it and want to stop feeling like poo? It’s not like there’s anything really terrible in my life but i think it’s a mental thing and i get this impulse to do it and if that lasted a few minutes i wouldn’t be able to think it through.

Then memorize the suicide hotline number and when you start to think about it, call the number immediately and talk to someone. And then get some counseling.

 

[Keith_W_OR_USA]

Do people who commit suicide go to Heaven or Hell or what? I’ve heard a bunch of different things on this subject but I’m not sure which is official. (Even if you would say that they all go to Heaven, that wouldn’t make me more inclined to do it. Just so ya know.)

People are judged by God on how they lived their lives, not how they died.

 

[tm30]

i kinda do like it’s not all the time and i won’t actually do it cuz i have friends and family to leave behind but i’m so sick of thinking of it and feeling like this. i’m kinda bipolar so i’m not perpetually depressed but i was on a real high for a while and now i’m on an equally huge low.

I’m very sorry you are suffering. I will keep you in my prayers.

 

[Angelsflight]

Do people who commit suicide go to Heaven or Hell or what? I’ve heard a bunch of different things on this subject but I’m not sure which is official. (Even if you would say that they all go to Heaven, that wouldn’t make me more inclined to do it. Just so ya know.)

Hello, my dear. I am sorry to hear that you feel this way. As someone who has tried to commit suicide multiple times and failed, I do understand what you are going through. And i am here for you as well, if you should ever wish to talk. PM me anytime.

 

[MonjaFutura]

I see a counselor but i don’t exactly trust her cuz she suggests i explore other religions and stuff. She says i should talk to an unbiased protestant pastor to “broaden my horizons” cuz priests and religious are biased but i think it’s kinda a dumb idea. Just saying this for the benefit of those who suggest counseling. It kind of helps but she’s on vacation this week and i was improving so it didn’t seem urgent to make another appointment for a while.

 

[Angelsflight]

I see a counselor but i don’t exactly trust her cuz she suggests i explore other religions and stuff. She says i should talk to an unbiased protestant pastor to “broaden my horizons” cuz priests and religious are biased but i think it’s kinda a dumb idea. Just saying this for the benefit of those who suggest counseling. It kind of helps but she’s on vacation this week and i was improving so it didn’t seem urgent to make another appointment for a while.

Well, you can always try another counselor if this one makes you uncomfortable. There are many out there and sometimes it takes a while to find the right one for you. i went through many myself. But if its important to you…just tell her that discussing religion with her makes you uncomfortable. I am sure she is just trying to help. Hang in there. You will find the right person for you. Keep looking.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I see a counselor but i don’t exactly trust her cuz she suggests i explore other religions and stuff. She says i should talk to an unbiased protestant pastor to “broaden my horizons” cuz priests and religious are biased but i think it’s kinda a dumb idea. Just saying this for the benefit of those who suggest counseling. It kind of helps but she’s on vacation this week and i was improving so it didn’t seem urgent to make another appointment for a while.

Try to find a Catholic counselor. Catholic Charities has them, if you are in or near a city. Try your Diocese. They work on a sliding income scale, so the less you make, the less you pay. She is WRONG about recommending that you look outside your faith for help. It will only confuse you.

 

[Irishgal49]

I see a counselor but i don’t exactly trust her cuz she suggests i explore other religions and stuff. She says i should talk to an unbiased protestant pastor to “broaden my horizons” cuz priests and religious are biased but i think it’s kinda a dumb idea. Just saying this for the benefit of those who suggest counseling. It kind of helps but she’s on vacation this week and i was improving so it didn’t seem urgent to make another appointment for a while.

Ask a priest for a referral to a Catholic therapist and you don’t wait until you’re bad to go. That’s like waiting for your teeth to decay before you see a dentist. St Igantius talks about how when we are not feeling desolation that is the time to prepare for the next time when we do…we shore up our weak areas, we fortify ourselves and get medical help too…medication is best adjusted when you’re not suicidal.