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Does anyone else find the formulation "died by suicide" a bit weird? Is that commonly used? Compared to "committed suicide" it seems to me that it is supposed

Does anyone else find the formulation "died by suicide" a bit weird? Is that commonly used? Compared to "committed suicide" it seems to me that it is supposed to associate a passive action, as if something happened to them. Just to make sure, I absolutely deplore the people storming the capitol and by no means support any of their causes. However I find this type of corporate speak often troublesome, especially if it's being used in connection with law enforcement and military actions.

BoxOfRain 5y ago
I think it's because the term "commit suicide" implies a moral judgement, in the past Western notions of suicide were actually pretty barbaric. To accuse someone of trying to commit suicide would have been a fairly serious accusation, in fact in the past in some jurisdictions suicide could mean that your estate went to the government instead of your family as suicide was seen as an offence against God and the Crown. Nowadays we tend to recognise it for the complicated set of behaviours that it actually is, modern notions of mental health and other factors that can contribute to suicide are often no longer seen as personal (and sinful) moral failures on the part of the suicidal person. To "commit" something usually implies that wrongdoing has taken place, for example as a thief or arsonist commits theft or arson. Since suicide is often the result of severe mental health issues, intolerable trauma, or other factors that have nothing to do with a person's moral conduct the verb "commit" is often seen as inappropriate in modern discussion.
- cycomanic 5y ago
  Thanks for educating me, while I was aware of the strong judgements against suicide (in particular based on religious justifications), I did not connect that to the use of language. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions too quickly.
  - BoxOfRain 5y ago
    No worries! As far as I'm aware it's a fairly recent innovation in language, it'd be harsh to judge people for using the older terminology especially as top-down language changes like this are often fairly controversial.
- TheAdamAndChe 5y ago
  Suicide is ultimately executed by an individual who makes the choice to do so. Obfuscating or minimizing that fact and refusing to shame it will remove social pressure preventing and dissuading that act. Shame and fear of my father finding my body is what prevented me from doing it years ago.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - BoxOfRain 5y ago
    I think suicide prevention should be a matter for healthcare professionals personally, what works for one person might be very dangerous for another.
  - DanBC 5y ago
    Everybody who works in suicide prevention disagrees with you.
hashhar 5y ago
Suicide is something that happens due to a cause, generally mental health issues or extreme physical pain. “died by suicide” removes culpability from the person who has lost their life and allows a discussion about the disease or disorder from which they were suffering. Consider a case where someone got shot. Should the headline read, "died by stepping front of a gun" or "shot dead by a gun"?

BoxOfRain 5y ago

I think it's because the term "commit suicide" implies a moral judgement, in the past Western notions of suicide were actually pretty barbaric. To accuse someone of trying to commit suicide would have been a fairly serious accusation, in fact in the past in some jurisdictions suicide could mean that your estate went to the government instead of your family as suicide was seen as an offence against God and the Crown. Nowadays we tend to recognise it for the complicated set of behaviours that it actually is, modern notions of mental health and other factors that can contribute to suicide are often no longer seen as personal (and sinful) moral failures on the part of the suicidal person. To "commit" something usually implies that wrongdoing has taken place, for example as a thief or arsonist commits theft or arson. Since suicide is often the result of severe mental health issues, intolerable trauma, or other factors that have nothing to do with a person's moral conduct the verb "commit" is often seen as inappropriate in modern discussion.

cycomanic 5y ago
Thanks for educating me, while I was aware of the strong judgements against suicide (in particular based on religious justifications), I did not connect that to the use of language. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions too quickly.
- BoxOfRain 5y ago
  No worries! As far as I'm aware it's a fairly recent innovation in language, it'd be harsh to judge people for using the older terminology especially as top-down language changes like this are often fairly controversial.
TheAdamAndChe 5y ago
Suicide is ultimately executed by an individual who makes the choice to do so. Obfuscating or minimizing that fact and refusing to shame it will remove social pressure preventing and dissuading that act. Shame and fear of my father finding my body is what prevented me from doing it years ago.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- BoxOfRain 5y ago
  I think suicide prevention should be a matter for healthcare professionals personally, what works for one person might be very dangerous for another.
- DanBC 5y ago
  Everybody who works in suicide prevention disagrees with you.

hashhar 5y ago

Suicide is something that happens due to a cause, generally mental health issues or extreme physical pain. “died by suicide” removes culpability from the person who has lost their life and allows a discussion about the disease or disorder from which they were suffering. Consider a case where someone got shot. Should the headline read, "died by stepping front of a gun" or "shot dead by a gun"?