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Rational Suicide in the Elderly pp 1–21Cite as

Can Suicide in the Elderly Be Rational?

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Abstract

In this chapter, we consider, and reject, the claim that all elderly patients’ desires for suicide are irrational. The same reasons that have led to a growing acceptance for the rationality of suicide in terminal cases should lead us to view other desires for suicide as possibly rational. In both cases, desires for suicide can and do materialize in the absence of mental illness. Furthermore, we claim that desires for suicide can remain rational even in the face of some mental illnesses so long as four criteria are met: individuals must demonstrate rationality, have realistic information and judgments about their life-world, be in a state of mind (e.g., their emotions and will) that is not be severely compromised by mental illness, and make choices that are congruent with their fundamental values and critical interests. We conclude that some rational suicides can be ethically justifiable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA, 95053-0310, USA

    Lawrence J. Nelson Ph.D., J.D. & Erick Ramirez Ph.D.

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  1. Lawrence J. Nelson Ph.D., J.D.
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  2. Erick Ramirez Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Lawrence J. Nelson Ph.D., J.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Robert E. McCue

  2. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Meera Balasubramaniam

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Nelson, L.J., Ramirez, E. (2017). Can Suicide in the Elderly Be Rational?. In: McCue, R., Balasubramaniam, M. (eds) Rational Suicide in the Elderly. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32672-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32672-6_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32670-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32672-6

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