NAME
AP English – P. 5
Mrs. Prinn
Date
Annotated Bibliography
1. Andrew, Louise. Depression and Suicide. Medscape Reference, 2011. Web.
<http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/805459-overview>.
This article, Depression and Suicide by Louise B Andrew, presents an overview of the leading causes of suicide,
which is depression. It affects 1 in 6 people, approximately 17.6 million Americans alone each year. Depression
is a life-threatening disorder of a chemical imbalance, which treats only 20% of the 50 receiving any kind of
treatment. Many times this disorder is left untreated due to the diagnosis being mistaken for anxiety. Depressed
patients then tend to be more likely to develop other medical issues, such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular
disease. It is estimated that over the next 20 years, a depression called unipolar will become the second leading
cause of disability worldwide. Andrew then states the persistent ignorance of depression by the public of the
disease of them thinking depression is easily willed away.
In my opinion, suicide, being a controversial issue, is not a selfish act. Depression is a leading cause of suicide.
As stated, depression is not something people choose, it’s a chemical imbalance. In addition, 50% of the time
depression is not accurately diagnosed and confused for anxiety. Many people may think they lack control of
their emotions and actions; however over half the people don’t receive the necessary help for controlling those
issues. Thus, leading to the only hopeless solution that is, in a way, programmed into their brain, which is
suicide. Suicide becomes their relief of their disorder.
2. Caruson, Kevin. Suicide is Not a Choice: People Who Die by Suicide Do Not Choose to Die. Web. 03
Nov. 2011
In this article by Kevin Caruso, he starts off with a poem called Suicide is Not a Choice. In the poem he uses
repetitions (anaphora) in the beginning of his stanzas with “People do not choose…” He then continues stating
how people do not choose to have clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and other causes of suicide. At the end
of his poem, he asks, “So why do some people think that people choose to die by suicide? Answer: Ignorance.”
He then goes into detail of how suicide is a clinical condition just like any other condition, like Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The analogy he draws between suicide and OCD is that people are overwhelmed
with obsessive thoughts that compel them to do certain things. Caruso continuously stresses the importance of
how “people do not choose suicide; their mental illness causes the suicide.” He concludes his article with how
people need to be more understanding of the truths of suicide and not become part of the problem.
This article is extremely relevant to the position of suicide not being a selfish act. I concur with Kevin Caruso
when he describes suicide as being just like any other medical condition, which can be overwhelming and can
drive people to reaching their limits. In his poem, he guides us through the different cases that cause people to
decide to become suicidal. When stating those causes and how people don’t have a choice, Caruso strengthens
my belief that suicide is not a selfish act. I believe that not fully understanding this condition leads to ignorance.
3. Kader. "Suicide Car Bomber Kills 3 Afghan Police Officers - News - World News." Article Directory Free Expert Article Directory - GoArticles.com. WorldNews.com, 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
<http://goarticles.com/article/Suicide-car-bomber-kills-3-Afghan-police-officers/5504370/>.
In this article by Kader, it talks about the cases of several suicide car bombers in Iraq that happened on October
14, 2011. In one of the attacks, Taliban guerillas had claimed 8 Afghan lives and injuring several others. One of
the lives that were claimed was a young child who was later left behind. These guerillas had planned an attack
to drive out foreign forces and government, which also targeted police stations. The attack happened during a
routine inspection at a check point by officers.
In relation to my topic, the suicide attack by terrorists happened to be an intended selfish act. This selfish act
claimed the lives of several others who got caught in the middle of their plan. With reading this, I came to
realize that different situations determine whether the act of committing suicide is selfish or not. These terrorists
are fighting for what they believe is right, even though I think it is wrong and going too far, that they are willing
to claim their own lives and put the lives of others in danger. When doing that, I think they are committing a
selfish act.
4. Phipps, William E. "Christian Perspectives on Suicide." Religion Online. Web. 09 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1924.>.
In this article, Christian Perspectives on Suicide by William E. Phipps, he describes the controversial issue in
the Christian community of whether or not suicide is acceptable or not. He references to the Bible, stating that
the Bible tells of only six “self-killings.” In one example, he says “the biblical writers neither condemn nor
commend those whom they record as having taken their own lives.” In saying this, he is saying that the way we
address this issue today was not an issue back then. He then goes on explaining how suicide goes against one of
the commandments, which states “thou shall not kill.” He goes back and forth on both sides, which then leads
him to talking about different cases of today. In one case, he describes an 80 year old man who resorted to
turning off his life support because he didn’t want to be remembered as a “vegetable.” In conclusion, Phipps
ends with saying that for some Christians, it may be an act of their Christian conscience to go to the last resort
of suicide.
When reading this, I realized that it is true that certain situations determine if suicide is selfish or not. Although
some Christians may condemn suicide as being selfish and one of the gravest sins, many don’t realize or are
open up to understanding the reasons behind certain cases. They become set on one thing and not want to
become considerate of certain issues. I think they become stubborn and need to realize the severity of cases.