Suicide Disease

In Boston, where "Cabots speak only to Lowells, and Lowells speak only to God," where young Jews yearn to become Louis Brandeises and young Catholics hope to be Joseph P. Kennedys, there may be no more frustrated individuals than in other cities. But in Boston an ambitious young Harvard psychiatrist. Dr. Merrill Moore chose to study the problem of suicide. By last week he had reached several conclusions, not all of them new to psychiatrists, but enlightening to laymen: 1) Suicide is "an important disease." 2) ''Its incidence can be materially decreased. ..." 3) It "is the ultimate expression of a personality disorder that has progressed through known stages of a neurosis, often with physical complications recognized as hysteria." 4) It "is unresponsive to medical treatment which, in addition to being ineffective, comes too late." 5) "This disorder can be precipitated and aggravated by physical strain and fatigue, psychologic disturbance and conflict, and social and environmental diff-culties."

Considered as a disease, suicide cannot be cured, but it can be prevented. Some of Dr. Moore's recommended preventives: C. Reading "psychologically inspirational articles'' in newspapers, such as "Advice to the Lovelorn" by "Beatrice Fairfax" (whose real name is Marie Manning) fills "a need which we as physicians in public institutions are slow to recognize, namely, the desire of anxious persons to come in contact with the thoughts of others on daily problems."

P:Conversing for an hour with a friend, physician or priest--a simple, commonplace preventive.

P:Eating a good meal, best preventive of all, because "very few persons attempt suicide on a full stomach."

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