Both

I agree with Cyndimh, it is selfich because the person commiting suicide is only thinkinf of his/herself, and not the pain that his family and friends will go through. I think it is a desperate act because it may be the only thing that could solve their problems, maybe no one else to turn to and maybe the only answer they could come up with! Suicide=Sin

From their point of view they feel worthless and that they can't handle or live w/ what they have done or can't do. Suicide is nothing more than a cry for help. It is a matter if the person receives love and care.

desperate is calling an ex at 3 am after a drunken bender. deciding that you are God and deem when and how people die - even if it is just yourself - is selfish. not giving loved ones a chance to help you out of your emotional trauma is selfish. killing yourself is selfish, in my opinion.

i think however depressed a person can be, it is the most selfish thing in the world to do. They oviously want to get rid of themselves because they are depressed, but why would they want other people to suffer from depression because THEY'VE done something?? and i know what its like to know that someone ALMOST killed themselves, apart from their mum walked in so it stopped although they were still able to keep it from their family. when we found out we were all soo shocked!

I don't think that there is anything selfish about it. When a person is in so much pain that death seems to be preferable to life then they are not worried about being selfish or not. It is an act of desperation..an act of someone screaming for help.

Desperate and cowardly.

in a way, selfish. but how can we be so sure when we don't know what they are going through...and to think that the only way out is to rid your life. its a sad case when someone feels so worthless that the only thought of them being happy would be to 'free themselves.' they are obviously not thinking of what others may think or how they will react after they decide to play god and kill themselves. their mind is set in the 'here & now' and their only thought is that nobody cares, so why would it matter? that's why we need not to take others for granite. and to let everyone we love know that we love them and will do anything for them. For them to think that they cannot reach out to anyone, or ask for help, is cuz they think nothing of themselves to do so. they figure since they don't really care, how could anyone else? when really there are people who care, and if it was in their control they would not let such thing happen. we need to be nice to EVERYONE! its not fair to other people having to go through life always being teased and made fun of...and the only thought is suicide to get rid of the pain they feel day to day. depending where your standing and looking at this situation would determine your view on whether selfish, or desperate. be good to yourself, and others. and if you are in the state of mind of depression or suicide-THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DO LOVE & CARE FOR U!! if counceling is the answer then so be it. don't kill yourself because you feel a certain way at some point in your life. everything is able to overcome...and this bad time will pass.

Easy to view it in such black-and-white terms, but the act is much more personal than what is perceived by outsiders. Until you have walked in the shoes of depression, you may never truly understand why someone makes the choice to leave this planet.

i can see how someone who has neer been depressed in his or her life thinks it is a selfish act.. they think " dont they think i would be sad" the truth is most of the time the answer is no.. they feel soo worthless and unloved that they truey believe noone would even notice they r gone let alone miss them... And if you say that the person who commited suicide IS Selfish for doing it, then what about if she doesnt do it... wouldnt THEY be selfish for making her live through hell, hating herself and every moment?? just because THEY will miss her ??? something to think about anyway

Desperate... I've been there and I assure you, it is the height of selfishness for people to try and force someone to endure such a pain that they would willingly give up -existence- just to escape it, just so that you can have the pleasure of their company for a few more years... That being said, there are other, FAR BETTER solutions than suicide, I am merely pointing out that it takes a very, very desperate mind to turn to suicide, not a selfish one... There is nothing to be gained from death, only things to stop feeling.

Until we have walked in a person's shoes, we have NO IDEA what a person is going thru! Let me also say, that depression is not the ONLY reason people commit suicide. I have been in such "intense" physical PAIN, that I would have done ALMOST anything, just to ease that pain for a few minutes! There are many "types" of pain, (mental, physical, imagined, real, etc.), and until we have FELT them, we can not know what someone else is going thru. I could never commit suicide because of my children. I know that somewhere down the line, they would blame themselves, and that would NOT BE RIGHT! So I would NEVER purposely end my life and take a chance on hurting ANYONE that I love. BUT, I have felt "brutal" pain, and I can see why some people reach that point where they think there is no other way out. Suicide is "both", selfish and desperate!