Suicide
+ Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney
16 Aug 2009
Recently a secondary school in Geelong, Victoria has lost four students through suicide in six months. What can we do to prevent such tragedies and help the families and friends of the deceased?
The news is bad, but probably somewhat better than it was ten years ago, although six Australians still die from suicide each day, more than from fatalities on the road and the suicide rate for males is three or four times higher than for females. The suicide rate for young Australian men is among the highest in the world.
The Christian conviction that the one true God loves everyone, especially those in trouble, should be and often is a help to those tempted to despair, but deep clinical depression can be overwhelming.
The Christian teaching is clear that God is the master of human life, which is not ours to dispose of. Suicide also causes immense suffering to the family. The suicide of a child is one of the worst blows to befall parents.
In the past Catholic Church law forbade funeral services for suicides. Pastoral practice was often milder and this harsh law was changed for a number of reasons, especially because we understand mental illness better now and diminished moral responsibility.
Autopsy studies have revealed that up to ninety per cent of suicides may have been experiencing a mental disorder at the time of their death. And we have the new factor of drugs such as cannabis which is a long term depressant.
The tragic nature of teenage suicides means that they are often followed by big public funerals. This is understandable but regrettable because it unintentionally "glamorizes" suicide for the young.
A Catholic bishop from the Pacific told me that in his island diocese they were troubled by an increase in young suicides. Being a local and not a missionary, he was able to take the radical step of prohibiting Catholic funerals for suicide victims. He told me the rate then dropped dramatically.
Different remedies work for different communities but suicide is always a tragedy, never heroic, even for Christians who believe in life after death and that God is loving and merciful.
Many groups such as Lifeline (13114), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), CatholicCare's Parent Line (1300 1300 52) are able to help while the Salvation Army in Chatswood also does excellent work through their Bereaved by Suicide Service (9419 8694).
