re: Suicide rates at all-time high driven mostly by American men.

I have a very good friend who is 81. He was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer 6 years ago and told he probably had about 2-3 years of living a decent quality of life and was probably looking at 6 months to a year of serious pain and suffering at the end. His wife has passed away 6 months before he was diagnosed. 4 kids, all self sufficient and married with kids. 8 grandkids. He asked me, when he was diagnosed, if I would make certain he could get to Washington State, where assisted suicide is legal, if he needed to. I promised him I would either drive him my self or fly with him and be by his side. He is more or less in remission now but talks about suicide NON-STOP. I have tried to talk him into talking to professionals. I have talked to his kids...they are aware and concerned but he is perfectly normal other than he is infatuated with ending his own life when time comes. I get it, I kind of think I would do the same thing instead of being a burden to my kids but he is pretty healthy all things considered, lives alone, drives, does a good bit of electrical work on the side, has plenty of income, spends more time with his kids and their kids than he wants to (he tells me all the time how they are spoiled and typical boomer take on youngsters). I suspect that he is not alone, a lot of 75 year old men who have worked their whole lives and pretty much did what they wanted and answered to no one have reached a point where that is no longer possible and they say frick it, I am out. I ain't sure its not admirable. If all your responsibilities have been met, do you owe anything to anyone other than yourself? Yes, their kids and grandkids and surviving spouse will miss them and be heartbroken, but they are going to die anyway....and may become a serious burden both emotionally and physically and financially. I ain't sure it isn't better than living so long that your loved ones grow to resent you....