[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/","headline":"Can suicide be a philosophical death caused by existential depression?","name":"Can suicide be a philosophical death caused by existential depression?","description":"(CONTENT WARNING:\u00a0The article contains descriptions of suicide.) Sisyphus,\u00a0a mad and arrogant Greek king, was a malevolent trickster in Greek mythology. He lured travellers into his city just to kill them. When Zeus, the god of thunder and sky, sent Thanatos, who was Death, to chain Sisyphus, he was imprisoned instead. For defeating death twice, tyrannical […]","datePublished":"2021-08-23","dateModified":"2022-01-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/#Person","name":"Atalia Chua","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Atalia%20Chua\/","identifier":339,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a83f1814f9ae936340d5c9530df0dcd78295c85ee63b72b84945716f843d62d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-7-sisyphus-happy-edit.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo-7-sisyphus-happy-edit.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/","commentCount":"3","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-05-01 23:21:03","description":"This helped me a lot, thank you.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"racing tv live stream free","url":"https:\/\/az.paltalk.com\/linkcheck?url=https:\/\/www.oneotv.com\/"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-04-28 00:20:41","description":"This deserves more attention.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Salomon hiking shoes sale","url":"https:\/\/globalshoepalace.com\/product-category\/men\/Salomon-Men-Shoes"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/#Comment3","dateCreated":"2026-04-25 10:01:55","description":"Truly a masterpiece of content.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Salomon hiking shoes for men","url":"https:\/\/globalshoepalace.com\/product-category\/men\/Salomon-Men-Shoes"}}],"about":["Community","Health & Wellness","Local"],"wordCount":1567,"articleBody":"(CONTENT WARNING:\u00a0The article contains descriptions of suicide.)Sisyphus,\u00a0a mad and arrogant Greek king, was a malevolent trickster in Greek mythology. He lured travellers into his city just to kill them. When Zeus, the god of thunder and sky, sent Thanatos, who was Death, to chain Sisyphus, he was imprisoned instead.For defeating death twice, tyrannical Greek king Sisyphus was punished by Zeus to eternally push a boulder up a hill. But each time he reached the top, the rock would roll down again. (Photo source: pv magazine USA)It took three attempts before Sisyphus was finally banished to Hades and punished for eternity. He had to push a boulder up a hill but each time he reached the top, the rock would roll down again and Sisyphus would have to start the whole process repeatedly.\u00a0Such an endless and laborious endeavour is ridden with meaninglessness, making it absurd for Sisyphus to find hope and purpose in his situation.\u00a0The Philosophy of the Absurd and its ties with suicide ideation and causeAgreeing,\u00a0French philosopher Albert Camus, in the philosophical essay\u00a0The Myth of Sisyphus,\u00a0unequivocally proclaimed that life has no meaning, and that it is absurd to seek for it.\u00a0\u00a0That forms the crux of the Philosophy of the Absurd.\u00a0Camus wrote: \u201cIt is absurd to continually seek meaning in life when there is none, and it is absurd to hope for some form of continued existence after death given that the latter results in our extinction.\u201dSo essentially, \u2018under what conditions is suicide warranted\u2019 and \u2018what does it mean to ask whether life is worth living?\u2019An awareness of this could lead to a feeling of hopelessness and fatalism, where suicide ideation sets in.(Photo source: Articles Hubspot)Speaking with TheHomeGround Asia, Dr Ilaria Cataldo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Trento, Italy, says suicide ideation is \u201cusually referred to as thinking about, considering, or planning suicide, [as defined by] the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u201d.\u00a0And it is \u201cpossible\u201d that a cause of such ideation is \u201coften [reported as] feelings of loss, rejection, worthlessness, or deprivation before [the decision is made to end] their lives\u201d.\u00a0But there is so much more than that, Dr Cataldo continues.\u00a0\u201cWhen facing the drastic decision to end one’s life, the reasons could be so individual that generalising or reducing the mechanisms that triggered such a decision could sound indelicate.\u201d\u00a0She elaborates that \u201cthe topic is complex, as it enroots deeply in the individual dimension and in the constellation of peculiarities that define a person, involving the personal path and choices\u201d.As such, Dr Cataldo says there can be an \u201cideation-to-action gap\u201d.\u00a0\u201cRecent developments in suicide theory underline the distinction between suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts,\u201d she says. \u201cNot all people who have suicidal thoughts happen to act suicidal. Conversely, not all of those who attempted or committed suicide had initial ideation.\u201d\u00a0Hopelessness, emotional pain, loss of social connectedness, shame, guilt and impulsivity can lead to suicide ideation. (Photo source: Discover magazine)And the origins and basis of the initial thinking start from an internalisation of \u201chopelessness, emotional pain, loss of social connectedness, shame, guilt, impulsivity, and the capability [and means] to commit suicide\u201d.\u00a0\u201cMany elements could determine a subsequent suicidal behaviour, some of which are not necessarily associated with psychiatric disorders,\u201d she says.\u00a0That was how Raymond (not his real name) felt when it drove him to attempt suicide. \u201cSome feelings that I had were guilt, [depression] and [anxiety]. Thoughts that came to mind were \u2018what did I do to deserve this\u2019, \u2018why am I being treated like this\u2019, \u2018I can\u2019t do this anymore\u2019,\u201d said the 23-year-old working in the service sector.\u00a0\u00a0Dr Cataldo gives examples from well-known historical figures who were of similar minds.In the note Vincent Van Gogh left to his brother, \u2018The sadness will last forever\u2019, it is impossible not to catch a deep feeling of hopelessness. (Photo source: Architectural Digest)\u201cIn the note Vincent Van Gogh left to his brother, \u2018The sadness will last forever\u2019, it is impossible not to catch a deep feeling of hopelessness, which, according to some theories in psychology, is one of the risks that may drive a person towards suicidal thoughts and behaviours,\u201d she says.\u00a0The \u201crecurring sensation of desperation and helplessness\u201d or the fear of it is another force of suicide ideation, and these were \u201cpresent in other well-known suicidal notes, from Virginia Woolf’s to Kurt Kobain’s,\u201d Mr Cataldo adds.\u00a0That is the difference between \u201cmotivations for suicide\u201d and \u201cthe concept [of] predictors or risk factors\u201d.\u00a0\u201c[For example] if we look at the biological causes, lots of evidence points out the involvement of the serotonergic pathways, extensively involved in suicidal thoughts and behaviour, and depressive disorders, which are currently treated with specific medications,\u201d she says.\u00a0The blurred line between depression and existential depressionWith the realisation of absurdism, an existential awakening may happen. This is when the questions of what one is doing with his life and if it has any real purpose, value, or meaning is being challenged intellectually by him.\u00a0An existential depression is \u2018a depression that arises when an individual confronts certain basic issues of existence\u2019. (Photo source: Mindful Breath)Through such exploration which arose from this awakening, an existential depression may follow. This is \u2018a depression that arises when an individual confronts certain basic issues of existence\u2019.\u00a0Pioneer in existential psychotherapy\u00a0Irvin Yalom said\u00a0this branch of psychotherapy emphasises that mental health problems are often caused by struggles with existence and that\u00a0four ultimate concerns — death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness — lead to this existential depression.\u00a0\u2018Death is an inevitable occurrence. Freedom, in an existential sense, refers to the absence of external structure. That is, humans do not enter an inherently structured world. We must give the world a structure that we ourselves create. Isolation recognises that no matter how close we become to another person, a gap always remains, and we are nonetheless alone. Meaninglessness stems from the first three,\u2019 he says.\u00a0Following the line of questioning, Yalom finds that one eventually arrives at this conclusion: \u2018If we must die, if we construct our own world, and if each of us is ultimately alone, then what meaning does life have?\u2019\u00a0Dr Cataldo says that it is \u201cpossible to include the existential crisis among the multiple causes or reasons to think of, plan, attempt, or even commit suicide\u201d.One may face a difficult or pivotal season in their life, which leads to suicidal thoughts. (Photo source: Bloomberg)She recognises that one may face a difficult or pivotal season in their life, which brings about stress. \u201cThe word \u2018crisis\u2019 derives from the Greek term \u2018krinen\u2019,\u00a0which means \u2018decide\u2019,\u201d Dr Cataldo says.\u00a0And sometimes, the decision is \u201cending one\u2019s own life\u201d.\u00a0In the endeavour to differentiate the grey line between depression caused by mental illness, and existential depression caused by an existential awakening and crisis, Dr Cataldo feels the need to first challenge the concept of \u2018existential crisis\u2019.\u00a0\u201cWhile most people have in mind [what depression] could be like, the term \u2018existential crisis\u2019 refers to feelings of unease about meaning, choice, and freedom in life, leading to questioning the purpose of one’s existence itself,\u201d she says.\u00a0She cites\u00a0\u2018Components of Existential Crisis: A Theoretical analysis\u2019, the works of But\u0117nait\u0117 Sondait\u0117, Jolanta Sondait\u0117, and Antanas Mockus, published in 2016.\u00a0Dr Cataldo says the authors \u2018describe a theoretical analysis of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioural components that define an existential crisis. Many of these, like emotional pain, anxiety, guilt, despair, relationship loss, isolation, or helplessness, do overlap with frequent symptoms of clinical depression\u2019.\u00a0The Myth of Sisyphus and the imagination that he is happySo as Sisyphus pushed the boulder, he harboured all the heavy emotions of an existential depression.\u00a0Then what is the point of carrying on? Camus asked.\u00a0He said the only way to overcome existential depression and crisis is to \u2018revolt\u2019 against the absurdity and live anyway.\u00a0Dr Cataldo has the same belief. \u201cLife doesn’t necessarily have to be meaningful, and that doesn’t necessarily have a meaning to be lived.\u201d\u00a0\u201c[For] Camus, he suggested that suicide could be seen as a sort of ‘confession’ about life. Specifically, he wrote that the act of suicide \u2018is confessing that life is too much for you or that you do not understand it\u2019,\u201d she says.\u00a0Thus with this kind of \u2018awakening\u2019, \u201cthe focus on the cognitive reasons, more than the behavioural or emotional ones, could be a gateway to intercept the underlying causes of the existential crisis,\u201d Dr Cataldo adds.\u00a0A way to cope with this is through \u201cpsychological consultation and psychotherapy to understand deeply the inquisitions about life, death and suicide,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u201cTargeting fragile windows or events that might have triggered such a crisis could help find a solution, together with and according to the person’s availability and willingness,\u201d Dr Cataldo adds.\u00a0The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy. (Photo source: Izzet Young)As Camus ended his essay, despite the meaninglessness of Sisyphus\u2019 labour, he said that, \u201cThe struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.\u201dJoin the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Local","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can suicide be a philosophical death caused by existential depression?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/local\/can-suicide-be-a-philosophical-death-caused-by-existential-depression\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]