Suicide

The term suicide refers to deliberately ending one's own life and may also refer to someone who ends his or her life. Because the actor's intention is part of the definition of suicide, it is often a matter of judgment whether a particular death was due to suicide, was accidental, or was caused by a third party. Studies of suicide are complicated by inconsistent reporting due to the fact that different religions and cultures judge the act of suicide differently. In ambiguous cases, a death may be classified as suicide in a society for which that is a morally defensible choice and classified as accidental in a society in which suicide is considered shameful and in which consequences such as the inability to be buried ...