Life is difficult enough that there are many psychological defenses in place - both at the individual and societal level - to keep us focused on our survival and not devote too many mental resources to considering underlying questions of motivation, purpose, or fairness.
Some people are in particular circumstances, or perhaps have certain personalities, such that those defense mechanisms aren't as strong, and once they step off the pure survival path, they experience a recognition of cold reality which can't be understood from the those who've never strayed from the survival path.
It's rational to reach many of the conclusions which mental ill people do. Not all, by any means. But I believe in some aspects of depressive realism, and I think many people who take their own lives are making a reasoned decision, as sad as that fact may be.
i don't follow how someone whose defenses are being overwhelmed would be able to step of the survival path. on the contrary, they should be constantly in survival mode such that they are not able to develop other necessary mechanisms to be able to function in society, or the defense mechanisms they develop get in the way of that normal functioning. suicide can easily explained with wanting to end the pain or fear of even greater pain.
a key mechanism to develop growing up is trust and learning how to relate to others. i don't think "normal" growing up should keep us focused on survival.
I'm using survival in a non-traditional way here. I'm not talking about "survival mode," I mean the normal development path you're describing, which is actually the one that best leads to survival.
Life is difficult enough that there are many psychological defenses in place - both at the individual and societal level - to keep us focused on our survival and not devote too many mental resources to considering underlying questions of motivation, purpose, or fairness.
Some people are in particular circumstances, or perhaps have certain personalities, such that those defense mechanisms aren't as strong, and once they step off the pure survival path, they experience a recognition of cold reality which can't be understood from the those who've never strayed from the survival path.
It's rational to reach many of the conclusions which mental ill people do. Not all, by any means. But I believe in some aspects of depressive realism, and I think many people who take their own lives are making a reasoned decision, as sad as that fact may be.