As someone who chronically ideates about suicide (but has never attempted), things like VR rock climbing and (real life) bungee jumping have just made me scared of jumping. But it doesn't make me not want to die, it just makes me want to do it a better way that's less scary

I wish you the best. I don't believe there is any psychological condition worse than wanting to die. Even excruciating physical pain at worst can drive you to that point.

I hope you can learn from these experiences, that your will to live or at least your survival instinct has not gone away, even during such episodes, but was merely drowned out by an irrational mechanism.

No. People committing suicide aren't doing it because they're curious about the sensation of it (which VR wouldn't be able to replicate anyway).

I agree, except perhaps for self-harming behavior in borderline personality disorder. Those contain an aspect of seeking self-experience.

But it get's very complicated to distinguish self-harm and suicidal attempts.

I'd also admit that some patients need to come to the edge to see that they also don't want to die, maybe as much as they want to.

Doubtful. If anything I could see it making people more comfortable with it. Could trigger a copy-cat-like effect where people already fantasizing about it could see getting through the VR experience as a "success" they are ready to emulate.

What the hell would you do in VR suicide? Be present during your own wake? Experience being buried alive?

Probably parent means something like creating a much more realistic and believable experience of imminent demise, like jumping off a tall building. The idea being if you can make enough of the brain believe it is about to die it might trigger whatever it is that changes its opinion on whether or not it should commit suicide.

The feeling is a lot more "I'm glad I didn't die." I doubt it could be replicated in VR.

So do I. I was just clarifying what I believed the original comments intention to be.

Maybe a slight chance of cathartic fake realization. By enacting what they want to do in VR they'd be able to slightly live through their own emotions, express and realize some things and change their mind a bit.

This is far more likely to normalise suicide and to increase rates.

This is actually an interesting question, and people are being entirely too dismissive in down-voting you. Everything from "assisted experiences" in VR to Neuralink could offer really interesting options for those going through something so terrible.

Why should it? AIUI, suicidal people actually want their suffering to end. Going through a VR suicide is totally useless to achieve their actual goal. I think you mistake the motivation. Most people dont kill themselves because they are thrill-seekers. The suicide is a means to and end, literally.

I don't believe VR could ever reproduce what you feel during an actual suicide, so no