From a psychological point of view, suicidal ideation is considered to be a departure from the normalcy of human functioning. A psychologist incurs a moral responsibility to alleviate the mental suffering of those having suicidal thoughts. However, such an approach prevalently takes the form of brandishing platitudes or expressing positivity mostly at the expense of the individual. Although personally a psychologist might express profound disapproval to suicidal ideation and consider it pathological, true sensitivity to such issues can only be achieved if we not only consider but try to understand the motivations behind suicide.
More than an attempt to end pain and misery, suicide also poses an important problem even to those leading a seemingly content life. The chief question we must ask ourselves is not why people choose to end their life but why they don't. Inspite of the suffering that abounds in the world and the spectacle of people dying en masse for various reasons, we all seem to harbour an inexplicable will to live.
A will that appears to be impaired in those wanting to hasten their dissolution for reasons that are equally inexplicable. Just as how suicide appears as an anomaly to those of us who want to live, life seems extraordinarily complex to those who would rather prefer the uncertainty of death. Without understanding the reasons and justifications of both sides, suicide will forever remain obscure even in the minds of those trained in its remedy.