In Seoul there is a new treatment for suicidal people. They have to act out their suicide, writing out a suicide note to their family, having their funeral enacted, and lying in a closed coffin for twenty minutes. The idea is that people experience death and then their minds are rebooted. The news article is here.

What do you think? A potentially good idea? A silly gimmick? Potentially harmful?

Are they assuming that a desire for death is a physical problem in the brain that can be sorted out with a reboot? Also, why not just induce a coma in a controlled environment?

Or is this purely a psychological thing?

I don't know. I have only the information in the article. However, I'm not sure that physical and psychological can be separated like that, as the brain is physical, and all psychological experience happens in the brain.

I doubt it would be any more harmful then leaving them to their lives to make their own decisions (at that point), but I'm not convinced it will help them with whatever problem(s) made them suicidal to begin with, either

Honestly... its the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
I think the one thing that keeps most suicidal people from acting on their urge to kill themselves is family and friends, not wanting to hurt loved ones.
If they do a 'mock suicide' then the suicidal person isn't going to get the true experience of seeing people grieve for them... their loved ones are more than likely just going to be annoyed or extremely disturbed at having to take part in it.
Unless of course they're planning to pretend that the person is actually dead... which is just sick.
I think it will simply attract a bunch of death-obsessed emo's desperate for attention, or those with a morbid streak.
The true suicidals will bypass this joke of a 'treatment' and skip straight to the noose..

If you desperately wanted to end your life, you'd just do it, wouldn't you?
You wouldn't really have the right set of mind to consider this "new treatment".
It sounds like a silly gimmick to me.
Must be a brilliant idea for those "suicidal" people who are only seeking attention. xD.

I see this different ways. Take my mother. She'd love it... this sorta thing would make her happy... she could do all the stuff she talks about doing, and have all the "funeral" blah blah. Without actually having to do the thing she's been threatening to do for 25 years. She'd love it because it is getting her attention.

I also think that if someone is truly suicidal that this wouldn't cross their mind - they will go and do it anyway.

That sounds really interesting, though.
Personally, the idea of acting out the funeral seems interesting, albeit a bit self-centered ("Oh, who will come to my funeral?").
I wonder how it would feel to the person who went through it... would it actually make them feel better afterward?

You know- in my job I get a lot of suicidal people to chat to ...and only last night I found out one who tried repeatedly finally succeeded. I think if they are determined then they will do it- if they truly have the desire to die rather than the desire for some attention.

I think in some ways, the idea makes sense. Force a person to confront what it is they plan on or talk about doing. make them sit down and write the note. And, I think, being in a casket for twenty minutes might just have some adverse reaction on some. If the full weight of lying in your own grave doesn't change you, maybe claustrophobia will. Maybe it's not so much meant to encourage a will to live into someone, but to make them too scared to die.

Or maybe it really is just to weed out those that only want attention. if someone has a mock funeral, maybe their attention seeking will be satisfied and they can look back on the experience and finally be able to admit it and move forward.

If anyone really wants to die, there is no stopping them. But, I also think sometimes your mind gets carried away with it, and you believe things that aren't true because you no longer have the ability to think rationally.

I think this method could have a lot of success, but it depends on several factors. Your willingness to commit to it is a huge issue for me. If you can't pretend this is your actual funeral, you can't take it seriously, and I would have my doubts in that case. Also, If your mind carries you too far away from reality, and you really truly believe suicide is your only option, you may be too distant to let anything helpful in. I think you'd almost have to have that perfect middle ground for it to truly work long term, and I have no clue where that would be exactly..if we knew, I suppose we wouldn't have to resort to such unusual treatments.

Interesting article to say the least..

As a surviving family member and friend of people who have taken their lives... I see this as possibly - potentially harmful. For those who are truely intent on taking their life, I do not see this changing anything but possibly even making it easier.
Most who are thinking about taking their life are hurting emotionally and need help from some type of therapist or behavioral expert.
Now for a (for the lack of a better term) emo person who doesnt really want to take their own life but wants the attention - this is a good idea. A way for them to safely get the attention.
But like someone said before in the thread - for those seriously wanting to and thinking of taking their life - you cannot simply "reboot" the brain and like magic their all better and wont ever go through with it

Interesting concept, would be utterly fascinating to see if it worked. Though I would have thought it's less to do with your mind 'rebooting' itself and more to do with experiencing the grief of your friends or family.