Quote Originally Posted by 120mm View Post
And suicide is a symptom, not a cause. But by consistently treating the symptom, we can receive absolution for not solving the cause.
I agree with Schmedlap (and others) but I can sense where 120mm is coming from. For own part, the frustration comes from the way our society - in this day and age - tends to deal with problems like this, from a therapeutic mindset, that tends to look at the issues in superficial, modish ways, like seeing it as a lack of self-esteem, and so forth. I think this kind of thing tends to overlook the deep cause.

Suicide can be caused by things like clinical depression, which goes back to a physical cause like a chemical imbalance in the brain (in which case it's a referral to the psychiatrist), or it can come from deep existential problems a soldier faces. The despair that can lead to suicide is often the result of a serious spiritual disorder, that requires grappling with a spiritual void, and that is precisely a job for the chaplain.

So you're a chaplain Tammie, and not a social worker. How do you approach this problem from a religious standpoint? Or do you?