Are suicideers crazy?

No, having suicidal thoughts does not mean being "crazy," or necessarily being mentally ill. People who attempt suicide are seriously afflicted and depressed. This depression may be reactive, a situation that is perfectly normal in difficult circumstances, or it may be an endogenous depression that is the result of a diagnosable mental illness with other underlying causes. It can also be a combination of the two.

The issue of mental illness is difficult because both types of depression can have similar symptoms and effects. Moreover, the exact definition of depression as a diagnosable mental illness (eg clinical depression) tends to have different shades, so the fact that the person who is afflicted enough to attempt suicide to be diagnosed as suffering from clinical depression may vary from person to person and between cultures.

It is probably more useful to distinguish between these two types of depression and to treat them adequately than to attempt to diagnose depression as a form of mental illness, even if the symptoms presented by reactive depression meet the criteria of clinical depression. For example, Appleby and Condonis wrote:

"Suicidal thoughts and acts can be the result of tensions and losses that can not be dealt with.

In a society where stigma and ignorance about mental illness is significant, the person experiencing suicidal behavior may fear that others will consider him "crazy" if they reveal their feelings, becoming reluctant to ask for help during the crisis they are going through. In any case, describing someone as "crazy" with strong negative connotations is probably not helpful and is most likely to deter someone from seeking help which can prove to be very beneficial regardless of whether or not a mental illness is diagnosed.

People suffering from a mental illness such as schizophrenia or clinical depression have significantly higher rates of suicide, although they are still a minority of those attempting such an act. For these people, having their disease properly diagnosed with appropriate treatment may be a way to prevent the act of suicide. "

The above quotation was taken from "Hearing the Cry: Suicide Prevention," Appleby and Condonis, 1990. (ISBN 0-646-02395-0)