Commit Suicide? Victims of Suicide? Huffpost article on hamrful language

[Winston]

Article rightly says to drop the phrase "committed suicide" from the conversation. And for good reason. One only "commits" crimes. But then they, with good intentions, used the tired notion of folks being victims of CTB. I disagree with that thought. Because while CTBers are certainly victims of a great many assaults on their conscious human body and soul, suicide is the first kind, peaceful and/or merciful event to happen in way too many years. What do you think?

 

[lululoo]

I prefer "commit suicide" to "die by suicide." For me "commit" does not connote shame. I think it's important to have an active verb rather than passive. I don't like the changing of language to reflect a certain understanding of suicide that is not at all agreed upon. We need a clear and simple term for killing yourself that does not try to suggest that it just happened to you and that it was the result of mental illness and you are a passive victim. That could be true, but it's not always true.

I've seen "completed suicide" but that sounds weird to me.

 

[LastFlowers]

Better than "completed suicide" which causes me to have a mini-stroke every time I hear it.

Victims of suicide, I do not like either. Because then you are making the person both the victim and the perpetrator. People are victims of uncontrollable circumstances..that's why they commit suicide, they are not a victim of suicide itself. (Which is basically what OP pointed out.)

I think people need to stop trying
to modernize the vernacular.

 

[Sadkitty]

Suicided?