The Issue of Suicide Using Concepts From Edwin S. Shneidman, and Thomas Szasz

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Dear Friend,
RE: Suicide
Greetings! I hope this letter finds you well. It has been long since we met during the last holidays, but I am hopeful that you are in good health. My purpose to write to you is to talk about one of the most widespread topics trending in mainstream media as well as on social media platforms. Following the death of Mr. X last week, a lot has been said regarding the cause of his death. However, while it was confirmed that Mr. X committed suicide by jumping from the 19th floor of Depew Towers, it is yet not clear as regards to the events that led to his demise. In line to this trending topic, I would like to briefly discuss the issue of suicide using concepts from psychologist Edwin S. Shneidman, and a renowned Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz. My conclusions from concepts I have gained through different readings fail to support that suicide should be treated as a mental disorder because I believe the act results from autonomous agents in one’s mind.
Suicide, which has remained a legal practice in France and other European countries since the eighteenth century, is defined as the deliberate ending of one’s own life. Many states in the United States, however, have criminalized suicide, assisted suicide, or attempted suicide. Psychologists have attempted to classify suicide as a mental condition arising from the symptoms of a psychiatric condition. However, psychologist E.S. Shneidman has recanted such claims pointing that the cause of suicide and many other mental conditions have often seemed to overlap. In support of Shneidman, Thomas Szasz, a psychiatrist, and author of "The Ethics of Suicide,” reject the idea that suicide is as a res...