When you imply that someone in the depths of depression, "chooses" death, makes a conscious decision, you fail to appreciate how the disease robs someone of the full reasoning capacity and the ability to make reasoned logical decisions. People in the depths of this disease are robbed of the insight/belief that it is going to get better (which it does) and in that moment of painful despair, there seems to be no other solution then to end the unbearable pain. This is not a "moral" decision, this is not a well reasoned decision, it is an act committed because the disease removes the ability to see any alternative.
Depression, severe depression, can cause true psychosis in its depths...hearing voices...it has been documented, in our culture these experiences are usually very negative...frightening relentless calls to kill yourself because you are worthless...is ending your life in a situation like this a conscious choice? When you can not distinguish reality form hallucination?
If you see a poor soul with a cast on his leg and crutches struggling to carry a bag of groceries to his car do you mutter to yourself about that pathetic weakling who can't even carry his own bag of groceries? Of course not, you recognize he has an infirmity that has temporarily crippled his physical abilities...but depression is no different then that broken leg....it is a disease of the psyche that, since you can not physically see, you do not understand. Again, many regard mental illness as a moral failing from an individual...it is not, it is a disease and the damage it does to the psyche to the person is devastating.
