HOW TO KILL YOURSELF.

METHODS. (1/2)

Choosing a Method or Combination of Methods

<_What is the least painful way to commit suicide? _>

there are two factors of importance in considering the
experience of the suicide (ignoring collateral considerations
like how the suicide will affect others): the DURATION before
death (whether we would wish it extended or shortened;
conventionally considered 'short' and 'long'), and the
QUALITY of the subjective experience over the *course* of that
duration (often painful, pleasurable, or of a neutral quality).

the question of "the least painful way to intentionally
end one's life" only takes into consideration the qualitative
element of this experience. it is AFFECTED by the duration
if disintegration/death occurs prior to the experience of
pain (achieving a 'neutral' quality at best).

therefore my response falls into two categorical types
of intentional death: concussion and intoxication.
concussion involves the incapacitation of nervous system
receptors prior to their activation (as in being at the
detonation point of a large bomb). intoxication includes
the administration of gaseous or liquid substances such
that pain is ameliorated by virtue of unconsciousness or
absent by virtue of life-threatening developments which
do not impact the nervous system.

in considering intentionally ending one's life I will
focus on means of suicide that SHOULD be commonly
available to the individual citizen in an enlightened
culture (projectile weapons, certain intoxicants), and
I may omit possibilities available to the privileged
and/or technically adept (e.g. nuclear weaponry).

Depressants

To: alt.suicide.holiday
From: steward@netaxs.com (steward)
Subject: Re: experience vs. expert info (methods)
Date: 18 May 1999 00:54:00 GMT

> What if this had been the other way round? I mean,
> the difference between the "factual information"
> -- thousands of mgs -- and the

The focus in alt.suicide.holiday is on trying to
figure out the dosage that is likely to kill
just about -anyone-. The LD-50 is what is
believed will kill 50% of people who take it
(it's only tested on rats or mice usually).

So, if the focus of this group was poison
control, we'd probably refer to the LD-50 as
a "deadly dose", because, to be on the safe
side from the poison control point of view,
someone who had taken the LD-50 should be
brought to the emergency room *immediately*.

But, the focus -here- is on being -sure- of
dying, and 50% is damn low odds considering
the cost of failure. Thus, dosages quoted
here are often several times the LD-50 (as
toxicity often does not follow a straight line
for that last 20% or so). Remember, these are
dosages for people to die with, not the
maximum "safe" dose to self-medicate with.

When I post LD-50 information, I add the
following:

==

PS: LD-50 means the amount of drug
it took to kill 50% of the subject
group, usually mice or rats.
Doubling the dosage does not
necessarily make it 100%. mg/kg
means that for each kg that you
weigh (Americans: 1 kg = 2.2 lb)
you need that dose in mg; for
example if it were 2mg/kg and you
weighed 70kg you'd need 140 mg for
the LD-50. Note too that doubling
that amount does not ensure death.
People vary. People take six times
the lethal dose of something and
manage somehow to survive because
bodies differ.