V_V comments on Is suicide high-status? - Less Wrong

9 Post author: Stabilizer 12 February 2013 09:41AM

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Comment author: Viliam_Bur 12 February 2013 09:43:48PM 5 points [-]

If someone is already considering suicide, helping them contemplate the topic from many aspects will increase the probability of really doing it. I don't have a good estimate about how much the probability would increase, but my guess is that the expected damage is far greater than expected benefits of having this specific discussion.

For me this topic is kind of a taboo. In theory, there is nothing wrong about discussing suicide between psychologically stable people. The problem is, depressed people usually don't see themselves as unfit to participate in such a discussion; they are probably even more likely to start it or join it. I don't want to participate in possibly providing the last straw for someone.

The article itself is not the whole risk; the comments (assuming the article starts a large discussion) would be a greater risk. The more different perspectives, the higher chance that one of them would impress a fragile mind.

Comment author: V_V 13 February 2013 03:45:43PM *  1 point [-]

If someone is already considering suicide, helping them contemplate the topic from many aspects will increase the probability of really doing it.

Or maybe it will increase the probability that they realize it was a bad idea. How do you know?

And anyway, for some people in certain circumstances committing suicide may be a rational action.

The article itself is not the whole risk; the comments (assuming the article starts a large discussion) would be a greater risk. The more different perspectives, the higher chance that one of them would impress a fragile mind.

So that's another basilisk? Hmm, it seem to me that we can put the other basilisk to counter it: Don't kill yourself or ... :D

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 15 February 2013 08:28:50AM 0 points [-]

And anyway, for some people in certain circumstances committing suicide may be a rational action.

That was exactly my point. I mean, that sooner or later someone would write something like this.

Now imagine a depressed person reading that, and thinking: "even the smart people on LessWrong agree with me" (because for a depressed person if someone could be in a situation where suicide is a rational action, they believe it's them in the first place).

OK, I give up. Seems like explaining why I believe discussing something is wrong only has the opposite effect.