This is a good discussion, and I appreciate everyone's candor and civility towards each other.
I had this very discussion with my wife and she brought up Robin Williams. Williams was beginning to experience the effects of diffuse Lewy body dementia (previously diagnosed as Parkinson's disease). Williams was described by several doctors as among the worst pathologies they had ever seen. Early symptoms began in October 2013 and included a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, a poor sense of smell, stress, and a slight tremor in his left hand. Eventually he suffered from paranoia, delusions, severe insomnia, memory loss, and high cortisol levels, indicating stress. According to one source, "Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it...He kept saying, 'I just want to reboot my brain.'" (source).
The question is was his suicide a result of the disease, or because he realized his future and decided he didn't want to live it? If the latter, would that be considered a mentally ill decision, or a logical one?
I don't know the answer, I am just trying to wrap my head around why some believe all suicides are the result of mental illness.
I had this very discussion with my wife and she brought up Robin Williams. Williams was beginning to experience the effects of diffuse Lewy body dementia (previously diagnosed as Parkinson's disease). Williams was described by several doctors as among the worst pathologies they had ever seen. Early symptoms began in October 2013 and included a sudden and prolonged spike in fear and anxiety, constipation, urinary difficulty, heartburn, sleeplessness and insomnia, a poor sense of smell, stress, and a slight tremor in his left hand. Eventually he suffered from paranoia, delusions, severe insomnia, memory loss, and high cortisol levels, indicating stress. According to one source, "Robin was losing his mind and he was aware of it...He kept saying, 'I just want to reboot my brain.'" (source).
The question is was his suicide a result of the disease, or because he realized his future and decided he didn't want to live it? If the latter, would that be considered a mentally ill decision, or a logical one?
I don't know the answer, I am just trying to wrap my head around why some believe all suicides are the result of mental illness.