Hacker News Reader

The article approaches it from the perspective of "what preventative measures does the human body and mind use against suicide." In this context "so few" is probably the right wording, given a 98.6% reduction compared to no prevention (according to the numbers from the article).

Perhaps. But it is also pedagogically valuable to ask "Why don't more people commit suicide?" We might learn something about the mental defence mechanism the brain employs.

Pedagogy /can/ go off the rails if it places other goals above the elimination of human killing. I know this is self-evident, however there are many hidden killers out there so consider this a billboard.

There's no ethical reason to oppose suicide, in general. Many cultures valorized it in certain situations.

The question as posed is an interesting one, as it sits on the boundary of where the "lizard brain" and executive thought process meet. The instinct to survive is very strong, even when the rational brain thinks (rightly or wrongly) that it's a hopeless situation.

Understanding how and why people cross that line may be a way to identify people at risk and intervene.