Massello W
J Forensic Sci. 1986 Jul;31(3):1009-15.
The certification of suicide as the manner of death can result in either the complete loss or a significant reduction in life insurance benefits to the victim's survivors. It is, thus, not uncommon for these beneficiaries to contest suicide as the manner of death. Insanity is a recognized defense in law against suicide. It is recognized in law that, in some cases, an insane man cannot intentionally destroy himself. However, it is also recognized that life insurers can exclude suicide by an insane man from coverage. This article discusses the common law doctrines upon which the insanity defense to suicide is based, with references to judicial opinions from cases which involve contested suicides and the issue of insanity.
将自杀认定为死亡方式可能会导致受害者遗属的人寿保险福利完全丧失或大幅减少。因此，这些受益人对将自杀认定为死亡方式提出质疑的情况并不少见。精神错乱在法律上是针对自杀的一种公认抗辩理由。法律承认，在某些情况下，精神错乱的人无法故意毁灭自己。然而，法律也承认人寿保险公司可以将精神错乱者的自杀行为排除在保险范围之外。本文讨论了自杀精神错乱抗辩所依据的普通法原则，并参考了涉及有争议自杀案件和精神错乱问题的司法意见。
