78 subjects were presented with an hypothetical situation in which they were considering committing suicide after being afflicted with cancer. Their decision to commit suicide was affected by the anticipated pain from the chemotherapy and by the probability of survival, suggesting that suicide can be a rational choice.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BeckA. T.WardC. H.MendelsonM.MockJ., & ErbaughJ.An inventory for measuring depression. Archives of General Psychiatry, 1961, 5, 561–571.
2.
YehB. Y., & LesterD.An economic model for suicide. In LesterD., Suicide as a learned behavior.Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1987. Pp. 51–57.
