This book argues that suicidal people have the right to receive treatment and for reasonable steps to be taken that they are protected from killing themselves. Those suffering threats to life from mental health issues deserve the same protection as those who face threats to life from ill health or violence from others. The book explores the ethical and legal case for giving those beset with suicidal thoughts the treatment they need and for reasonable steps to be taken to prevent them attempting suicide.
Debates around suicide tend to be dominated by cases involving those with terminal medical conditions seeking assisted dying. But of those wishing to die, it is far more common to find middle aged men and young people oppressed by mental health and personal problems. Too often the woeful failure in the funding of mental health services in the UK means that suicidal people are denied the support and help they desperately need. This ground-breaking book makes the legal and ethical case for recognising that the state and public authorities have a duty to provide and implement an effective suicide prevention strategy.
1. Introduction
2. The Definition of Suicide
I. Introduction
II. Popular and Official Definitions
III. The Mental State
IV. Causation
V. Conclusion
3. The Causes of Suicide
I. Introduction
II. The Problems with Gathering Suicide Statistics
III. International Statistics
IV. Statistics for England and Wales
V. Suicidal Feelings
VI. Forms of Suicide
VII. Seeking to Identify the Causes of Suicide
VIII. Biological Theories
IX. Sociological Theories
X. Psychological Theories of Suicide
XI. Mental Illness
XII. Alcohol
XIII. Religion
XIV. Domestic Abuse
XV. Social Inequalities
XVI. Conclusion
4. Societal Responsibility for Suicide
I. Introduction
II. The Cultural Meaning of Suicide
III. Social Causes of Suicide
IV. Suicide and the Relational Self
V. Means
VI. Poverty
VII. Gender
VIII. Age and Suicide
IX. Clusters
X. Conclusion
5. Ethics and Suicide
I. Introduction
II. What is the Question?
III. The Principle of Autonomy
IV. Autonomy and Welfare
V. Capacity, Autonomy and Suicide
VI. Autonomy Issues: Limits
VII. A Duty to Commit Suicide?
VIII. Duties Towards the Suicidal: Drawing the Th reads Together
IX. Conclusion
6. Human Rights and Suicide
I. Introduction
II. Rights and Duties
III. The Positive Duty to Protect the Right to Life
IV. Does Suicide Infringe the Right to Life?
V. What Does the Duty Require?
VI. The Universal General Duty
VII. The Particular General Duty
VIII. Specific Operational Obligations to those in the Care of the State
IX. Breach of the Duty
X. Duty to Investigate
XI. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
XII. Conclusion and the Way Ahead
7. The Current Law on Suicide
I. Introduction
II. Criminal Law Offences Prohibiting Suicide or Assisted Suicide
III. Criminal Offences for Failing to Prevent Suicide
IV. Mental Health Law
V. Mental Capacity Law
VI. Suicidal Children
VII. Conclusion
8. Prevention of Suicide
I. Introduction
II. The Case for Prevention
III. The Case against Suicide Prevention
IV. Developing Suicide Prevention Policies
V. Universal Interventions
VI. Selective Interventions
VII. Individual Interventions
VIII. Problems in Preventing Suicide
IX. Current Approach in the UK
X. Conclusion
9. Euthanasia and Suicide
I. Introduction
II. The General Debate on Assisted Dying
III. The Starting Point
IV. The Right to Die
V. Dealing with Hard Cases
VI. False Positives and False Negatives
VII. Conclusion and the Right to Die Debate
10. Conclusion
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