I wish we could see a policy manual for Catholics...
The Catholics take a pretty hard stand on suicide, at least from a theological viewpoint.
So far as to take this viewpoint:
This suicide rate obviously includes suicides attributable to mental illness , but we cannot accept the opinion of a large number of physicians, moralists , and jurists who, led into error by a false philosophy , lay it down as a general rule that suicide is always due to insanity , so great is the horror which this act inspires in every man of sane mind . The Church rejects this theory and, while admitting exceptions, considers that those unfortunates who, impelled by despair or anger , attempt their life often act through malice or culpable cowardice. In fact, despair and anger are not as a general thing movements of the soul which it is impossible to resist, especially if one does not neglect the helps offered by religion , confidence in God , belief in the immortality of the soul and in a future life of rewards and punishments.
Widely different reasons have been advanced to explain the high frequency of suicide, but it is more correct to say that it does not depend on any one particular cause, but rather on an assemblage of factors, such as thesocial and economic situation, the misery of a great number, a more feverish pursuit of what is consideredhappiness, often ending in cruel deceptions, the ever more refined search for pleasure, a more precocious and intense stimulation of sexual life, intellectual overwork, the influence of the media and the sensational news with which it daily provides its readers, the influences of heredity, the ravages of alcoholism, etc. But it is undeniable that the religious factor is by far the most important, the increase in suicides keeping step with the de-Christianization of a country.
France presents a painful example parallel to the systematic de-Christianization; the number of suicides for each 100,000 of population increased from 8.32 in 1852 to 29 in 1900. The reason is obvious. Religion alone, and especially the Catholic religion, instructs us with regard to the true destiny of life and the importance of death; it alone furnishes a solution of the enigma of suffering, inasmuch as it shows man living in a land of exile and suffering as a means of acquiring the glory and happiness of a future life. By its doctrines of the efficacy ofrepentance and the practice of confession it relieves the moral suffering of man; it forbids and prevents to a large extent the disorders of life; in a word it is of a nature to prevent the causes which are calculated to impel a man to the extreme act.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14326b.htm
The WTS OTOH, has, in more recent years anyway, taken a more hands-off approach. While not condoned nor given a pass for due to mental issues, they are very careful to not do or say anything to cause disgruntledness among survivors...in official print.
But as the experiences on this forum show (myself included) there has been in the past, an attitude of "suicide, or attempted suicide, is a major sin worthy of DFing". I had one elder actually tell me that a family member who committed suicide had no hope for resurrection, despite statements made otherwise in the publications. I've seen funerals of suicide victims having to be held in a funeral home when the KH was not allowed t be used.
The letter on confidentiality is troubling in that it is assumed that one who threatened or attempted suicide is now part of a judicial hearing. Why exactly is it assumed that there is judicial action being taken in the first place?
The first order of business for elders, upon hearing of acutal suicide, attempted suicide, or even threatened suicide - is to call the WT legal dept. The letter does recommend that elders encourage family to take steps to help prevent a tragedy, but this is added as almost an afterthought to the main import: Call the legal dept. Cover your, or better yet, the WT asses. All else is secondary.
