I can definitely see why people view this as a selfish act, but I think leaving it at that is oversimplifying the issue and failing to grasp the situation of one contemplating suicide. Having attempted suicide in the past, I can say that suicide isn't a primarily selfish act, but a desperate one. When I attempted suicide, I was fully aware of how it would affect those around me, and that was definitely the hardest thing about it. However the far more powerful feeling was that I simply couldn't hold on any longer. The feelings of loneliness and hopelessness easily overwhelm any altruistic notions of selfish or unselfish. And to flip the situation on its head- could it not also be considered selfish for people to expect you to hold on and suffer through a life without hope or joy simply so they don't feel sorrow? I understand the notions of responsibility and family, but a human heart can only take so much before it shatters.

Now the obvious response to this is- go get help! And it is the right and realistic response. However, understand this isn't as easy as waltzing into a clinic and asking for help. To go for help means to admit that you are sick and need help, and to admit that can be terrible for someone who already has low self esteem or is already loaded down. No one likes to think of themselves as some demented, sickly creature needing society- o the irony- to fix them, especially when they view a misunderstanding and cold society as their problem in the first place. Eventually, with a great deal of love and care, a suicidal person can be eased into getting help, and healing can begin. First however, some extremely painful delusions need to be shattered, and don't underestimate how difficult that is.

As a final thought, suicidal people are selfish to an extent because they have to be. They are in a state where they simply cannot go on alone, and if left to their own devices they will die (and often they recognize this). Therefore I would question how helpful it is to tell suicidal people they're selfish, not matter how true it is- in their state judgment of that nature is nothing but harmful, and thinking that branding them selfish will cause them to snap back to reality is both shortsighted and potentially disastrous.