A failed attempt tends to significantly increase income (by 20.3% on average, relative to those who consider suicide but do not make an attempt) as more resources, such as healthcare and affection, are made available to the person who made the attempt. The more serious the attempt, the greater is the impact on income (36.3% on average for so-called ‘hard-suicide’ attempts).

rauparaha: It just said that you had to have a higher expected value of life if you did it, which is almost tautological.

Toexpand on rauparaha’s comment: It begs the question about intent. An attempt at suicide as a rational means of gaining some payoff (such as in income, or whatever) doesn’t make sense, since if the suicide succeeded, there would be no payoff. To classify an attempt at suicide as rational action with a view to increased support, income, etc. is to suppose that survival was the purpose all along, which means that the attempt wasn’t in fact a genuine attempt. Therefore the rational action on this basis would not be to attempt suicide, but to appear to attempt suicide – the so-called `cry for help’. It’s like the aphorism: if you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?*

That is a very tricky proposition which I think ascribes far too much rationality to the suicidal person involved, and if taken to a rational policy conclusion could lead to the assumption that suicide attempts are mostly `cries for help’ – while they might be, it strikes me as socially wise to pretend they’re not and treat any such attempt as a genuine attempt (as we do), rather than assume they’re not and through inaction allow people to kill themselves. A value judgement, but not, I think, a very controversial one.

In the case of Tony Veitch, as in any individial (non-theoretical) case, it becomes yet more complicated – there have (allegedly) been several attempts, all of which he has survived, and to which family, authorities, etc. have responded with proper alacrity and care. It’s hard to see how he could be trying a play for greater support or financial advantage here; he has plenty of both in the immediate term and I think he would likely be welcomed back into broadcasting in due course if he would show the sort of contrition society requires of those who commit domestic violence. It’s possible the attempts are an attempt to curry media or community sympathy, but I think that’s too cynical. Occam’s Razor suggests that the combined factors of possible loss of his career and good public name, stress on his family, guilt and self-loathing, criticism (IMO, deserved) because of his apparent reluctance to back down and demonstrate genuine remorse have made him fucked-up, and when people are fucked-up they don’t always act rationally.

L

* Not to say that attempted suicide can’t be a rational action in itself (such as in cases of terminal illness), but it’s not for the reasons here.

@Eric Crampton
Good question Eric. I haven’t reads the papers in detail. If there’s an academic around that wants to dig through it, be my guest. 😛

Suppose that a rational person will attempt suicide when the expected value of the future utility stream becomes zero or negative; a serious negative income shock could drive that, and mean reversion could then drive the up-tick post-attempt for those unsuccessful.