BMJ 1994;308:473 (12 February)

Letters

Suicide: Accept the possibility of depressive illness

EDITOR, - I feel qualified to comment on the anonymous personal view discussing the right to commit suicide,1 having been similarly thwarted in a serious attempt to take my life. Before this event my suicidal ideation, during periods when life seemed to present unending pressures, seemed a normal thought process, offering the reassurance of a final solution if all others failed. I presumed that being an effective general practitioners, carrying a full practice load, was evidence of sanity, and I could not have accepted that I was suffering major depressive episodes that would benefit from antidepressant treatment.

Adequate antidepressant treatment - made possible by the positive, supportive, non-judgmental attitude of my partners, family, and a psychiatrist who insisted, despite my reservations, that serious suicidal intent was a cardinal marker of underlying depressive illness - has enabled me to reassess my views on suicidal ideation. When my depression is adequately treated, . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

The right to die
Anonymous
BMJ 1994 308: 66. [Full Text]

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