Sick! Festival (Manchester): Is There Such a Thing as Rational Suicide?

Suicide is so often seen as an essentially irrational act, wrapped up with misunderstandings of mental illness and the causes of profound unhappiness. ‘If only they had just thought this, done that’, ‘If only I could have been there. I know I could have made them see it differently’: These are common and not unreasonable feelings. But perhaps for some, it is a rational decision, made with a clear head, based on a reasonable response to conditions that are unchangeable and unmanageable. What are the implications of such a perspective for how we respond to suicide when it happens? How does this affect the nature of the role society needs to play in preventing suicide?