Part of me as a person wants to say, "No, suicide is not an individual's right." George Eastman, the founder of Kodak and inventor of roll film, left his suicide note saying, "My work is done. Why wait?" There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't leave this world, George! However, the mind is often a more troubling place than this world, which can say a lot about how troubling the mind can be. The mind can torment one's daily life with horrible thoughts, process perceived actions as ritualistic messages, and, in general, make everyday life seem scary. People may laugh at that. Scary? One's thoughts?
Those people who do not see how the mind can be scary can not know the power the mind has over the body. They do not know how helpless a body can be left when psychosomatic symptoms plague the body's physical functions. They do not know the horrible experience of facing daily panic attacks caused by a thought that, although irrational to the one having the thought, is processed as true and evokes a horrible response both physically and mentally. These people who do not understand the power of the mind will say it is wrong to commit suicide. They will tell you to relax and stop taking life so seriously. I personally have been given professional advice to "try taking a warm shower" or another of my favorites was "try sipping some hot cocoa or tea." No joke. That was the advice given to me by professionally trained mental health workers. These professionals as well as the common person will see your situation as simply an undisciplined frame of mind. One simply needs to get their head out of the sand and into a more positive outlook.
So here I sit on a topic on which I am ambivalent. I cannot take my own life as I have given it value for the time. I have a mother who needs me more than I need to die. I have family who would be crushed. Finally, I still have a shred of hope that I am still of value to the greater society. Outside of that, only faith that there is hope keeps me tied to this world. When one loses faith and hope, then there is no point to living. Sometimes we need to live blindly in faith in search for hope that is not present. However, all suicides are usually long, hard fought journeys with no glimpses of hope and know faith that hope will ever shine its light upon one's face again. But there is an even more basic answer to the question, "Is suicide a personal choice?" "Is it is a personal right?"
That answer is the definition of a choice. We all have choices. We all have the right to make those choices. However, the consequences will tell us whether that choice is right or wrong. Can I as a person go and beat up little puppies at a pet shop? Sure. Should I expect to get a positive reaction? No. But, can anyone stop me before it is too late? Probably not. The only way to prevent a puppy attack is to be able to identify the person with a puppy problem. It is the same with suicide. Can I figure out and carry out a plan to kill myself if desired enough? Sure. Should I expect anyone to understand or agree with that decision? No. Can anyone stop me before it is too late? Probably not.
For one to really desire to take their life out of this world they must first feel engaged with it. So many times, the tormented mind is the one who has been marginalized by the "normal", mainstream mind or the mind society finds acceptable. The normal mind sees the suicidal mind as a warped mind. However, that is the farthest thing from the truth. Actually, a badly broken bone in the body and a suicidal brain are good equivalents to each other. The difference is that EVERYONE can get their mind around a broken bone where only a few can grasp the broken, hurting mind. Even the simplest mind knows what to do with a broken bone. You place it and let it heal, and maybe with a little physical therapy you'll be up and about in no time. The mind is also broken when it no longer has the will to live. However you cannot set a brain properly nor can it be controlled to think differently. It cannot be given predictable outcomes. There is no precedent for fixing a broken mind. There are no timeframes for recovery. It is a tireless effort for the one experiencing the mental pain as well as for those watching helplessly. Sometimes the mind simply will not heal!
So the answer to whether or not suicide is right or wrong is not the question here. The question is, "Is suicide someone's right?" Hopefully, the one attempting suicide is not known by others as it will have a ripple effect through out his/her community. On the other hand, hopefully the person committing suicide is known and loved by many to keep that person from thinking life is hopeless in the first place. Ultimately, the answer to this quetion is yes because once the trigger is pulled, the switch is flipped or the pills are popped it is many times to late to ask that person whether or not suicide was their right. Once dead, a suicide's victim's answer to whether is was their right or not is an emphatic, YES!