When is Death the only Option?

I recently learned that an acquaintance of my husbands committed suicide over the weekend. I will spare you the details, but needless to say it was shocking. He seemed like a nice enough man; wife, children, big house. I cried when I heard this news, wondering what would compel someone into thinking that death was the only viable option? How bad was it for him?

In high school, I had friends who died, whether it be by accident, or suicide. Their deaths troubled me. How could you take your life at 17 years old when you had so much ahead. Maybe that was the problem. The ahead was too overwhelming and scary.
As a youth in college, I saw a film in a Philosophy class about this very subject. When is it okay to take your own life, or better yet, when does death become the more noble, honorable way out of ones life? This film presented numerous scenarios, and as a viewer, I began to understand that sometimes, in some situations, death is the better way.

My prayers to the family, this man leaves behind. His parents, friends, business associates, his wife and children.