Suicide Ethical Dilemma

Words: 1864
Pages: 8

In past years, the ethical dilemma regarding suicide may have never been looked at seriously, but today this issue has been given a second look. With suicide there is almost always a link to depression and it is depression that has becoming more and more prevalent around the world. In fact, one in four people will be affected by a mental illness in their lifetime. Many religions have always rejected suicide, but in recent years there has been a growing understanding with some individuals in certain religions. Christianity and Islam are two religions that are known for being strictly against suicide no matter the circumstances, but some individuals in these religions have shown progress in aiding those in need of support. Instead of solely analyzing …show more content…
The view on depression today is highly stigmatized. This is not necessarily anyone’s fault, but if people did some research they would begin to understand that depression is not just the daily blues. Depression is seen as a certain choice to not be happy and that there is no hope for those it affects. Mental disorders are just as serious as any physical disease is. With illnesses like cancer, people are mostly supportive and willing to do anything to make someone more comfortable. However, when it comes to depression, people can be resistant to aiding those in need. It is just that, people with depression are in need and yet, people do not show the same compassion for those with a mental illness. Through education, this issue can be resolved and one step to understanding depression is that it can be biological. When there is a lack of certain neurotransmitters like serotonin, it can lead to metal disorders like depression and needs the attention of medical professionals. Instead of having a loss of faith, they have a loss of an essential biological factor which then mental disorders that may not be relieved with prayer. In many cases, someone may not be able to control the emotions they feel and it has no correlation to how religious they are, it is simply genetics. Like some people have the possibility of inheriting cystic fibrosis, people can inherit depression. It is upsetting to think that even though mental illnesses affect one in four people, that religions like Christianity and Islam are still resistant to change. I do understand why Christianity and Islam reject suicide as it essentially goes against the sacredness of life itself. However, what I do not understand is why many within these religions disdain mental illnesses like depression. With both of these religions so against suicide, one would think there would be more resources from these two communities to try to