[candybar]

Yup, suicidal attempts are often impulsive, so any barrier (in this case literally) even if it's relatively easy to get around, reduces suicide rates. Here's another study, this time on firearms:

https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/handgun-owner...

> The researchers found that people who owned handguns had rates of suicide that were nearly four times higher than people living in the same neighborhood who did not own handguns. The elevated risk was driven by higher rates of suicide by firearm. Handgun owners did not have higher rates of suicide by other methods or higher rates of death generally.

Suicide attempts by firearm are far more likely to complete than most other means, ergo, suicide death rates are higher among those that have firearms.

[I_Am_Nous]

I remember reading about how "sticking your head in an oven" was a legitimate suicide method when using coal gas ovens. When people switched to natural gas/electric, the suicide rate dropped drastically:

>The switch from coal gas to natural gas also had one unexpected effect. During the ‘50s and ‘60s, about half of the suicides in Britain were by coal gas. By the ‘70s, when the transition to natural gas was complete, the number of gas suicides had dropped to zero and the overall suicide rate was down a third. Even the suicidal appreciate convenience. If it's too much trouble, as Dorothy Parker said, "You might as well live."[1]

1. https://gizmodo.com/why-have-people-stopped-committing-suici...

[qohen]

For those unfamiliar with Dorothy Parker[0] and/or that punchline, here's the poem, Resumé, that it's from[1]:

Resumé

By Dorothy Parker

Razors pain you;

Rivers are damp;

Acids stain you;

And drugs cause cramp.

Guns aren’t lawful;

Nooses give;

Gas smells awful;

You might as well live.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Parker

[1] https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44835/resume-56d22415...

[birksherty]

Just living without dying is not a good life. If anyone wants to stop suicide they should prevent the root cause that leads to it, not just stop giving a less painful way to do so. It's inhuman and many forced to die horribly because of this. It's always the privileged who decides to make suicide harder.

They think life is always going to be good at after waiting. For many it's not true. Privileged people think just because they themselves have it easier, people who are willing to die just mentally ill and don't know how to enjoy life.

If we are brought to life easily without thinking and no consent, then there should be a way to leave if anyone wants to. Life should not be a one way hell trap, suffering for long time just so that well off people can feel better and not hear about suicide.

Nobody actually does anything to prevent root cause, but it's completely ok for them if people suffer long time without dying. Media will also never show humans whose life is still miserable after not dying. It must be a feel good story.

[linuxftw]

That could also be explained that everyone who wanted to kill themselves (WW2 veterans) had already done so. Suicides being 1/3 lower in the 70s than the 50's and 60's seems expected.

[loeg]

E.g., Sylvia Plath.

[philomath_mn]

I think about this a lot with my brother. He took his life in the alleyway behind the gun shop where he just bought the ammo -- I have no idea what his mental state was (estranged from family for many years) but I have to think there was some impulsive decision-making involved.

[I_Am_Nous]

I'm sorry to hear about your brother :( depression can be very much like torture. Some people can last for a long time before they will do/say anything to make it stop, but without help eventually it will wear you down until you don't value your life anymore and the promise of a "quick, painless end" via gunshot is hard to resist when you are too deep. Add in any kind of extra stress like drug addiction or trauma and it very quickly becomes too much.

[NalNezumi]

This makes me wonder more about the idea of legalizing assisted (pain-free) suicide, with the caveat that the process needs a lengthy evaluation time (background check for no coercion, mental evaluation etc).

I wonder if it would have the opposite effect, reducing suicide rate by picking up the people so hopeless they would've just jumped a bridge/bought a gun if the option of peaceful suicide didn't exist.

[ikjasdlk2234]

Vermont passed a law like this in 2013, designed to help those with incurable diseases choose when to pass. Vermont Public Radio recently did a good podcast on it.

https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/202...

[heyoni]

It sounds like any length process would remove the impulsive component and should suffice.

[giantg2]

I think Canada has a popular assisted suicide program. I'm not sure if anyone has done the research to see how it affects suicide rates or methods outside of the program.

[mensetmanusman]

They tried this in Europe and it resulted in an interesting scenario where the doctor was killing someone who changed their mind and was telling them to stop.