Missing the Bigger Picture on Suicide

I am completely cool with health care workers being warned to be on the lookout for suicide ideation among their cancer patients. When I was a hospice volunteer, I was trained similarly. I was told in no uncertain terms that if a patient threatened or even mentioned suicide, I was to tell the multidisciplinary team so that they could intervene and address the problem.

But there is something missing in this story that describes the problem of suicide ideation among cancer patients. I believe that one of the reasons people with cancer and other serious illnesses and disabilities may look to suicide as a way out is the permeation of assisted suicide advocacy. The fundamental message of “death with dignity” is that suicide/mercy killing is an acceptable answer to the problems of human suffering. The implied subtext is that a natural death is undignified. If we want to protect cancer patients—and others—from suicide, we must guard against the mixed message that currently permeates society; suicide prevention for some, but facilitation for others.