Is There an Economic Argument for Suicide Prevention? A Response to Doessel and Williams

An article by Doessel & Williams in this journal presented an economic argument for a policy of suicide prevention. In this letter to the editor, several issues are raised that Doessel & Williams failed to address: 1) the fact that suicides may result in economic savings for the society; 2) the finite resources of governments so that governments have to decide in which issues to become involved; 3) the fact that most government policies produce benefits for some members of the society & costs for others; & 4) the role of governments versus charities, nongoverment organizations, & Quangos. (11 refs.) JA