I was in a conversation earlier which somehow turned to "active" vs. "passive" suicide. We agreed that "active" suicide was to deliberately take one's own life: by gun, by overdose, by hanging, by jumping from a bridge or in front of a train...any act like that. I believe that waving a gun at a state trooper with the expectation you will shot is "active" suicide.

We agreed that "passive" suicide might include discontinuing medical treatment knowing that the result will likely be death. But then we got stuck on whether that meant, say, refusing to continue painful treatments that would only buy a few more weeks/days of a terminal illness. Or does it mean saying "I'm not taking any of my meds anymore; who cares if I live or die"? Or does it mean both?

Is it considered "passive suicide" only if your intent (conscious or subconscious) is to die? In other words, is it "passive suicide" if I engage in a life-risking behavior (over-eating to morbid obesity, chain smoking, over-consumption of alcohol, etc.) only if I say "who cares?" as opposed to being in denial about the consequences?

A person has the ethical right to refuse ANY medical treatment...right? At what point does an informed decision (calculated risk?) become "passive suicide"? At what point do "unwise choices" morph into "passive suicide"?

Sorry for the downer subject, but it was a really thought provoking conversation, and my thoughts are obviously still being provoked. Do you have any thoughts on this?