TweetGood question. I'd question if they were suffering first..and second, I'd question the possibility of them returning to consciousness. In the above situation, you have to reference that this child was in severe pain other then the "video game" situation. There is a very distinct possibility that there is far more to this situation, then the simplicity of the way in which it is communicated. There may be long term issues in the home and this may have simply been the icing on the cake?

I worked on Neuro unit with brain injury patients and I had a patient in this exact situation. He lost custody of his daughter based on a false allegation from the mother, so he hung himself. He lived, but was able to walk, talk and function, though he was not fully capable of everything.

So for someone being in this position it is possible. His family still visited him and loved him and were able to see him and were grateful..but the patient wished to die daily. So I don't know the answer. He was conscious enough to feel tortured by his situation. Being in a neuro unit is literally like jail, you can't leave, you are locked in. He was medicated, and could not see his daughter.

Financially the State was paying about 500K per year to keep him there.