The Economics of Suicide
Why trying to kill yourself may be a smart business decision.
Why should suicide be an economic boon? Once you attempt suicide you suddenly have access to lots of resources—medical care, psychiatric attention, familial love and concern—that were previously expensive or unavailable. Doubters may ask why the depressed don't seek out resources earlier. But studies have demonstrated that psychological and familial resources become "cheaper" after a suicide attempt: It is difficult to find free medical care when you are sad, but once you try to kill yourself, it's forced on you.Posted by nchicha at October 30, 2003 09:58 PMSuddenly the calculus of suicide has become even more complicated. Now attempting suicide seems a rational choice, as long as the attempt isn't too successful. But this conclusion alarms suicidologists: Treating suicide as a logical act runs counter to everything they have been advocating for the past 40 years.
Nice article, reads like The Myth of Sysiphus in the Age of Late Capitalism. I wonder what Camus would have said.
Posted by: Ion on October 31, 2003 07:04 AMThen there's the claim that depressed people have a more realistic view of the world than non-depressed people.
Posted by: Prentiss Riddle on November 2, 2003 08:50 PM