Suicide

Suicide is the deliberate destruction of one's own life, explainable as based on a free decision (appearing in hopeless situations, conviction that it is futile to continue living) or as sickly compulsive act (in depressions and psychoses). To what extent the incidence of suicides (suicide rate) depends on social factors has not yet been finally clarified. Many religions are deprecative towards suicide; for a long time suicide were denied church burial.
According to German law, neither the attempt to commit suicide nor the participation in it is punishable. However, somebody, who arranges or lets happen the suicide of someone without free will or of a disoriented person may under certain circumstances incur a penalty.
According to Austrian (§ 78 StGB) and Swiss law (Art. 115 StGB) aiding and abetting somebody to commit suicide is punishable (Austria: misdemeanor; Switzerland: crime). In Switzerland, for the punishability selfish motives of the person who aids and abets are necessary.
(Own translation based on source: www.wissen.de)

Selected information about Suicide:

Tables:

• Age of death (from 1998)
• Deaths, Mortality figures (from 1998)
• Mortality, e.g. by family status (starting from 1998)

Further information can be found on the topic or keyword search.