Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States and a major public health concern. When a person dies by suicide, the effects are felt by family, friends, and communities.
According to statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control, in 2021, suicide was among the top 9 leading causes of death for people ages 10-64. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for children ages 10-14 and adults 20-34. People ages 85 and older have the highest rates at 22.4%. 49,449 Americans committed suicide during 2022; one every 11 minutes.
If the suiciding person had reached the age of reason and was sane and otherwise responsible for his action, it is a mortal sin against the fifth commandment; suicide is an infringement of God’s dominion over human life and is contrary to the nature of man. Suicide is simply considered as another form of murder. Deliberate killing of oneself is never justified. God, in a sense, loans us the use of our life, and He is the only one who has the right to take it. For this reason, the law says, “Thou shalt not kill.” The person who commits suicide violates this law by committing the most repugnant of murders, and unless there are mitigating circumstances, such as mental illness, or coercion, merits eternal damnation. Mental disorders (including, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, physical disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome) and substance abuse including alcoholism and the use of and withdrawal from benzodiazepines which are used for treating anxiety and related mental health conditions are risk factors.
It is not suicide to expose one’s life to danger from necessity or for the public good. The soldier who covers a grenade with his body in order to save the life of his comrades would not be guilty of suicide. It was not suicide when St. Maximilian Kolbe, the dutiful priest, offered his life in exchange for the life of another in a Nazi concentration camp. If a shipwrecked person gives his life vest to another and drowns as a result, he cannot be held guilty of suicide.
The fifth commandment also forbids, besides homicide, all that is related to it, or that tends in any way to destroy the integrity of human life; and this includes, hatred, anger and revenge, evil wishes and desires of revenge, quarrels, angry blows or threats, all ill-treatment of one’s neighbor and hardness of heart towards the poor. It also includes all that is hurtful to ourselves, intemperance, excesses that shorten life, and rash exposure of our lives without necessity.
One can never really know the state of mind of a suicide. My niece and god-child committed suicide. I pray for the repose of her soul every night.
Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.