The Selfish Act - A Response to Jeremy Clarkson
According to Sir Jeremy Clarkson, it is so selfish to commit suicide on a railway line, that victims deserve to have their bodies eaten by animals. Admittedly, Clarkson likes saying things for shock value, but the fact remains that an astonishing number of people genuinely believe that this method of suicide, or indeed suicide on general, is selfish.
To hold such intolerant beliefs requires a total misunderstanding of the experience of mental illness.
"In most Western countries, close to 90 per cent of those who die by suicide have a mental disorder. " - Mind
Most mentally ill suicidal people feel isolated from the world. They feel that their life is a burden on those around them. Their minds often deny them access to the undeniable fact that their death will hurt others.
It is simply ridiculous to judge people suffering from an illness that causes irrational thought processes, for not behaving in a rational way.
If a victim truly believes that their suicide will improve the world then yes it is tragic, yes it is destructive but the one thing it is not, is selfish.
I've written a story called The Selfish Act, which paints a more realistic and insightful picture of the mind of a suicidal person.
I am not arguing that suicide is never selfish. I am merely trying to illustrate an alternative perspective. It is a perspective that is shared by the majority of people who have suffered from genuine suicidal feelings, and spokespeople from mental health organisations.
"His notion that suicide is a selfish act shows how little he knows about the subject because, if he did, he would know that when a person attempts suicide they are so distressed that they genuinely believe their families will be better off without them. The concept that their actions could be construed as selfish is the furthest thing from their mind. Fortunately, most of us will never experience the mental torture that leads someone to die by suicide."
- Catherine Johnstone, Samaritans' Chief Executive.
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