wpo97

Don't worry, in 8 years or so, you'll want to round down for the rest of your life!

Sleeping is what allows the brain to place everything and wind down so to speak. By dreaming lucid on a regular basis, doesn't one risk mental exhaustion? And related to that, it sounds like a very vivid experience. Is there any risk of addiction, leading to said mental exhaustion?

Hello Dr. Moutier,

Long introduction, for a moral question: I'm a student with a diagnosis of asperger. As a teen, i fought through my own suicidality mostly on my own (13-14), thanks to a stupid promise I made, and I've used the knowledge that gave me to recognize depression/suicidality in fellow students and help them as best I could without involving their family unless necessary (I never did for myself, although in hindsight, I should've).

I've spent 9 years, over a third of my life, to understanding this phenomenon, both in myself and others, purely based on observation and reasoning (I don't study psychology, as asperger makes for a very poor psychologist), and I've known since I was 17).

Despite this, I've struggled with a question ever since the one time I failed to save someone (I succeeded when we were both in high school, ~15, but 5 years later, when we were out of touch, different uni, she commited suicide, she was one of the first I tried to help). This made me wonder: Is it fair that I choose for someone else whether they have to spent additional time in pain in a life they don't seem to want? Or rephrased: Why should I condemn someone to more time they might not want or enjoy?

I used to think I was helping people, but after that... Because almost every case of suicidality can be treated in my experience, if not by me, by a professional, but the moment I intersect with someone and give them the chance to talk to me, I take the choice, of not seeking help, unwittingly out of their hands.

TL;DR: is it moral to help someone struggling with depression/suicidality, if they don't know they just came across help, and might not want it?

(I know this is a twisted question, and the answer should be obvious, but I live in a country where euthanasia, when agreed upon by two different doctors (where one has no prior connection to the patient) and a psychiatrist is legally allowed (although still hard to actually get everything in order), and I vehemently believe in that right to choose)

EDIT, unrelated to the question: I would like to genuinly thank you and all those who work on this with you, for your work around this topic. You make help available to those who want/need it, which is an invaluable service for countless people. You all make me believe in humanity a little.