CHAPTER ONE

         Art Linkletter, a famous television personality and author, said: "The word suicide is without doubt one of the most dreadful expressions in the English language. People wince at the sound of it, and avoid using it to describe the tragic death it implies. Leprosy and cancer are spoken of in the same hushed tones. And yet it must be face squarely and discussed openly because it has become one of the leading causes of death among both the young and the very old in this country. My own personal experience with it is still a nightmare. The death of my nineteen-year-old daughter, Diane, after experimenting with LSD changed my life and the lives of everyone in my family… Since then I have counseled with many grieving parents who have sought me out because they know that only those who have experienced this loss can understand its depth and its consequences in a family. We need to know more about the complexity of the decision to take one's own life." 

THE STIGMA OF SUICIDE

        Suicide is a historical fact. The stigma attached to suicide has a history arising in the Bible. In the early Christian era there was an epidemic of suicides. Life was difficult and many believers were eager to enter heaven. The church wanted to stop it. Saint Augustine proclaimed suicide a sin, the sin of self-murder, and Thomas Aquinas convinced the church to declare suicide a mortal sin with eternal damnation as the punishment. Laws were put into effect inflicting harsh punishments to anyone attempting suicide and the government took all property belonging to the victim. The body was not allowed a proper Christian burial and the surviving families were ridiculed with contempt, disgust and scorn. Often 
they had to move away from their home. The stigma of suicide was disgrace, dishonor, humiliation and shame. Even talking about suicide became forbidden. 
        Laws have slowly changed and although there aren't any legal consequences in our country today, the stigma and shame are slow to be erased. People have no idea how much pain they can inflict with insensitive remarks. Many churches and synagogues are working to change these attitudes but even most professionals such as religious leaders, teachers, nurses, doctors, and counselors, have not received sufficient education about suicide or the grieving process of the survivors.
        For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism gives this comfort and guidance to survivors: 

Suicide and attempted suicide are painful and dramatic aspects of human behavior, but it does not mean that they should not be dealt with in terms of the same basic principles as those applicable in understanding and managing any other aspect of human behavior. Thus, principles associated with concepts of agency, accountability, atonement, eternal life, immortality, resurrection, and family establish the frame of reference Latter-day Saints use to guide their responses to such behaviors as they occur.

The body of a person who has committed suicide is not dishonored. If the person has been endowed (in the temple) and otherwise is in good standing with the Church, the body may be buried in temple clothes. Normal funeral procedures are followed. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Suicide, p. 1422 ©1992 by Macmillan Publishers Inc.)