I agree, yet in these choices of words I see a slippery slope. My friend, who suffers from depression, and I disagree about suicide. While she's okay now, I could see her applying these words to argue for legalizing suicide generally. It's sort of semantics because legal or not, no one goes to jail for trying to kill themselves and if they succeed, there's no one to prosecute. So the arguments she and I have had are not really about criminalization, but more so about me trying to talk her out of ever trying it. She said she wouldn't while her dad and her cat are alive. Interesting she didn't include her life partner in that equation. Her cat just died recently....

Suicide is a difficult issue to talk about, and just a few years ago it was taboo on Medium--they were worried about any piece that could remotely be seen as glorifying it. I fought to get a few pieces published back when I was an Illumination editor, and have posted a few of my own, there and elsewhere.

It's also difficult because while I don't want anyone to attempt it, at the same time I know I must not stigmatize it so that those suffering will feel they can talk about it. About a year and a half ago in a moment of synchronicity I heard an interview on National Public Radio (which I never listen to) in which the expert (a philosopher and multiple attempt survivor) said, when talking to someone who is having or may start having suicidal thoughts, he advises to tell them it’s ok. You can kill yourself if you want but you don’t have to do it today.

Kind of like the one day at a time aspect of addiction recovery.

I wrote a short piece about all of the above. https://medium.com/channspirations/theres-no-shame-in-contemplating-suicide-2e0ef101a900