History Main / PsychicAssistedSuicide

%%* In ''WebVideo/PokemonApokelypse'', Mewtwo can be seen doing this to Officer Jenny.

* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/AutumnVisits'', the Envoys can ''lead'' most people into following their commands. This usually makes the person incapable of complex independent thought. This power is most used by Mary, the Envoy of Good, who uses it to force others to do her bidding and then kill themselves, all in the name of Good. In fact, at one point she tells the driver of a car she stopped to get a lift to drop them off and then accelerate to 200 kph and slam into a gas station. Obviously, she believes in ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill, as this would also kill numerous innocent bystanders. Mary's justification? They're all going to Heaven for their sacrifice. There is a reason why all the other Envoys consider her to be the most dangerous of them all, and two of them used to be UsefulNotes/JosephStalin and UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler!

* In Dan Simmons' ''Literature/CarrionComfort'', the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent mind vampire]] villains make a game out of forcing people to kill themselves.

* From the ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' series:

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': The Skavis family of the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent White Court]] of vampires are {{Emotion Eater}}s like all White Court vamps, with their particular preferred emotion (which they can also induce in their victims) being ''despair''. And while normally even the Skavis would have reason to keep their victims miserable but alive -- can't drain the dead, after all -- in ''Literature/WhiteNight'', one of them does, in fact, use magically induced depression and implanted suicidal thoughts as a convenient murder weapon.
* ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'': In ''[[Literature/GreatSchoolsOfDune Mentats of Dune]]'', Valya Harkonnen is the first Reverend Mother who masters [[CompellingVoice the Voice]] and uses it to kill her rival [[spoiler:Dorotea]] immediately after Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul's death by giving [[spoiler:Dorotea]] her dagger and commanding her to stab herself in the throat. The supreme irony is that Raquella has just [[MentalFusion Mind Melded]] with [[spoiler:Dorotea]] and gave her the necessary insight to work together with Valya to make the Sisterhood great. Also ironic is that [[spoiler:Dorotea has Atreides blood through her grandmother Raquella, something Valya does not know; so Valya unknowingly kills one of her family's bitter enemies]]. This is possibly the first time someone uses the Voice to override a person's self-preservation instinct.

* This is [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Despaire's]] power in ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene''.

* In Creator/StephenKing's novel ''Literature/{{Firestarter}}'', the head of a fictional secret U.S. government intelligence agency muses about using the protagonist's powers of mental domination to "suggest in a low voice of utter conviction that suicide was the best answer" to Teddy Kennedy.
* In ''Literature/ForcedPerspectives'' by Creator/TimPowers, the villain is guardian to a pair of psychic twins who have the ability to mentally compel others. It's revealed that he gained guardianship of them by manipulating them into mentally compelling their parents to commit suicide.
* ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'': In ''Tangled Webs'', one guy got his severed hand [[OrganTheft replaced with a slave's]] by his [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder drow]] "ally". When he tried to disagree with her, the reason for this generosity became clear--the new hand snatched his own knife and put it to his throat. Just to make a point.
* In ''Literature/{{Genome}}: Dances on the Snow'', another of [[Creator/SergeyLukyanenko Lukyanenko's]] books, the BigBad tries this with the protagonist and a girl by using CompellingVoice to force them to jump into molten metal. Captain Stas, a [[Franchise/StarWars Jedi]]-like Knight of Avalon, uses the same voice to countermand her orders, turning it into a tug-of-war of sorts. The BigBad ends up dying before the teens can jump.

* There's a heroic (?) example in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' short story ''Trust Your Instincts''. The [[EmpathicWeapon Sword That Sings]], an ornamental sword used to choose the rightful kings and queens of Rethwellan, exerts an influence on the young man who'd held it a year ago to let it indicate the current queen. Becoming obsessed with the memory of its warm, comforting touch on his mind, he breaks in to touch it again and it rocks him with torturous visions of the country falling to an invader who destroys the sword. Cracking under its continued influence, the young man accepts that it wants him to take it to safety, steals the sword from the palace, and heads unprepared in the direction it wants him to go - an obscure mountain pass, in the winter. He realizes towards the end, as he dies of exposure, that the sword never meant for him to ''survive'' and his life was just the means by which the sword wanted to be lost for a time, but he's so addled by its touch that he doesn't mind and thinks he's committing a HeroicSacrifice. Decades or centuries later in ''The Oathbreakers'', Tarma and Kethry find him and the sword and return it to Rethwellan.
* Ahkté in ''Literature/TheHourBeforeMorning'' unapologetically uses this to further his revolution; he considers the pain he experiences part of the bargain.

* This trope is in the center of the first chapter of ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'': the story opens with several schoolgirls throwing themselves off a particular abandoned building to their death, without any clear indications of their reasons. Shiki eventually discovers that a spirit haunting the building was magically compelling them to do so.
* In the ''Literature/GhostsOfFearStreet'' book ''Horror Hotel Part 1'', a ghost mistakes the protagonist for his murderer due to UncannyFamilyResemblance, and possesses him every night to try to force him to kill himself. The possession only lasts from midnight to 12:15, however, since that was how long it took the ghost to die.
* Played straight numerous times in the ''Lensman'' universe. Some examples:

* In the ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' novel ''Literature/TimeStreams'', Barrin defeats the Phyrexian demon Gorig by casting a ray of command on him. This spell compels Gorig to fly straight downward at top speed, where he slams, headfirst, into the deck of the ''Weatherlight''. The results [[YourHeadAsplode aren't pretty]].
* In ''Literature/TheMigaxCycle'', the seserance forces [[spoiler: Wye]] to kill himself, and almost succeeds at making Summer slit her own throat.

* It seems that the titular aliens in Robert Silverberg's ''Passengers'' sometimes do this to the people whose bodies they possess.
* ''Literature/ThePower'': Allie uses the Power to control [[spoiler:Tatiana's]] mind into killing herself with a letter opener.

* In a scene from the book of the movie, ''Film/TheShadow'', the villain is on the roof of the Empire State building when he's mocked by a sailor for his strange clothes. So he makes the sailor climb the fence and jump. It's particularly horrible because the sailor is screaming that he doesn't understand what's happening. In the movie, it's actually PlayedForLaughs immediately afterward; we cut to our heroes walking down the street, and Lamont, beginning to suss out Shiwan's evil plans, says "It's all falling into place." The Empire State Building is in view, and as soon as he says that, the sailor bounces off one of the ledges like a ball.
* In the Creator/DeanKoontz novel ''Sole Survivor'' and its TV adaptation, the [[PsychicChildren psychic child]] [[YouAreNumberSix SSW 89-58]] uses this to kill people. There's a fun scene where he forces someone to jump off a building with the victim forced to scream how much he's enjoying it.

* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': A young Hego Damask (who grows up to be the titular ''Literature/DarthPlagueis'') does this to a youth that he disliked. When the youth pushes past Hego, Hego touches his arm, locks eyes with him, and tells him to jump out the window. They later discover his broken body in the courtyard.
* In ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'' series Confessors, with their MindControl powers, are fully capable of ordering a person to kill himself. However, more powerful ones, like Kahlan, can simply give an order to drop dead... and it will be followed to the letter. Kahlan does it at least once before the series starts, and twice during the books. [[BigBad Jagang]] has also ordered one of his servants to die, merely to make a point.
* In ''Those Who Walk in Darkness'' by Creator/JohnRidley, this is why psychics are considered to have won the SuperpowerLottery. Their standard method is to have targets shoot themselves, "the ultimate fuck-you."

* Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/WorldOfPtavvs'': About 1 billion years in the past, the Thrint used their telepathic mind control powers to become the rulers of the Milky Way by enslaving all other sentient life forms in the galaxy. When the slave races rebelled, the thrint used telepathic amplifiers to order them to commit suicide. ''All of them. Everywhere. Including Thrint.'' No, the Thrint weren't exactly the sharpest tool in the galactic-conqueror shed. It's notable that they did consider that someone might find a way to hide from the command. (And some did!) So they rigged their weapon to go into stasis and come out every once in a while and do it again. It has lost effectiveness over time. It now only works on developed brains. But still blasts the Galaxy every so often.

* ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'': Testing out his new rings of power, Lewie the Lich orders a orc to kill himself in his name. [[https://www.yafgc.net/comic/0582-success/ The orc promptly stabs himself.]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In ''Literature/TheSalvationWar'', it is mentioned that Abigor and some angel once had a competition about who will cause more lethal incidents among humans. Abigor won 106 to 102.

%%* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
%%** We see a couple [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual parahumans]] guilty of this.
%%** On the villainous side, Cherish uses her EmotionControl powers this way.

** In "Mortal Folly", [[OmnicidalManiac the Lich]] manages to mind-control [[KidHero Finn]] when his magical amulet falls out, and tries to compel him to walk into his well (which would likely turn him into something [[TheUndead undead]] and evil, if not just kill him). Fortunately, he's able to resist when the Lich accidentally reminds him of [[ThePowerOfLove The Power of L-L-Liking Someone a Whole Lot]].
** In "Normal Man", Finn gets stuck with a thorn from a mind-controlling plant that nearly causes him to stab himself, but fortunately, Jake removes the thorn and frees Finn from its influence.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' episode "Unremarkable Voyage", a shrunken Carl, Frylock, and Meatwad take control of the nerves in Shake's head [[WhoEvenNeedsABrain where he would have a brain]] and make him gorily kill himself.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', the Mad Hatter once told two thugs who were attempting to mug him to "go jump in the river." Since it was in a kid's cartoon, Batman caught them right before they jumped off the bridge, but it still counts as an attempt.

** Spellbinder uses his illusions to trick Batman into what would have been a fatal fall. Fortunately, [[MissionControl Bruce was remote-monitoring]] and managed to snap him out of it in time.
** Shriek would try a technology-based variant on Bruce using a hidden speaker, trying to trick him into thinking a voice in his head was driving him to jump out of the window. Bruce knew the voice wasn't really in his head though, because "Bruce" isn't [[Franchise/{{Batman}} the name]] he uses to refer to himself in his own mind.
* Attempted in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' MusicalEpisode, when TheMusicMeister [[CompellingVoice compels]] his brainwashed slaves into dancing into a rocket ship's blast. Franchise/{{Batman}}, who's not affected, has to stop them, allowing the villain to make his getaway (which was his real plan all along).

* In the ''WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien'' episode "Where the Magic Happens", a voice almost convinces Charmcaster to walk off a cliff before Gwen snaps her out of it.
* When ''Everybody Loves Hypnotoad'' is interrupted in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' movie "Bender's Big Score", the title character forces the producer to kill himself.
-->'''Producer:''' ''[[[DeathGlare Hypnotoad glares offscreen]]]'' [[AintTooProudToBeg Please, Hypnotoad, it's beyond my control!]] No! Don't make me kill myself! ''(choking) Nooooo-!

* In the ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "Alive!", Lex Luthor turns Gorilla Grodd's own mind control powers against him, then forces him to walk into the airlock. Lex then turns off the mind control so Grodd knows just how screwed he is before [[ThrownOutTheAirlock opening the airlock]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': [[WellIntentionedExtremist Daemon's]] ultimate plan is to do this to ''the entire Net'', subsuming everybody with her PsychicPowers and ordering them all to self-destruct as a twisted MercyKill.
* Fart in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' accomplishes this by convincing one of the gear cops trying to arrest him and the titular crew that his wife was cheating on him using visions, causing a huge pile-up that destroys an entire army [[SoundtrackDissonance all to Fart's]] Music/DavidBowie-esque {{Leitmotif}}.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooWhereAreYou'' episode "Bedlam in the Big Top", the [[MonsterClown Ghost Clown]] attempted this on Shaggy and Scooby after hypnotizing them on separate occasions, only to be foiled both times. He made Scooby walk across a tightrope and then snapped him out of the trance when he was halfway across, but Shaggy was able to find something to cushion his fall. He turned Shaggy into a lion tamer and planned to snap him out of the trance and leave him defenseless, but Scooby was able to open the cage so he could escape.
-->'''Ghost Clown:''' When I blow this whistle, you won't be a lion tamer. Just food for a hungry lion! (''EvilLaugh'')

** "[[Recap/StarWarsRebelsTheSiegeOfLothal The Siege of Lothal]]": During [[TheHero Ezra's]] first encounter with [[TheDragon Darth Vader]], the latter attempts to Force-manipulate the former into decapitating himself with his own lightsaber. Ezra only survives because the Sith Lord is forced to stop when Kanan tries to attack him from behind.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** The Intangible Fancy does this in "The Revenge Society".

* In ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Queen Bee]] threatens to make [[CheerfulChild Garfield]] "damage himself" to keep M'gann in line. The tie-in comic reveals that she killed Gar's mother, Marie, by compelling her to drive her car off a cliff.

* In ''ComicBook/UltimateXMen'' #47, Mr. Sinister [[CompellingVoice tells Angel to choke himself]]. Angel survives, and as punishment, [[EnemyWithin Lord Apocalypse]] (who was depicted as just Mr. Sinister's hallucination [[TheEndOrIsIt up until this moment]]) has him do the exact same thing while he's in prison. [[spoiler:Despite the cliffhanger, a later crossover reveals S.H.I.E.L.D. stops his suicide attempt and he survives too]].

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-2128 SCP-2128]], also known as the Liar's Cradle, will fatally incinerate anybody who tells a lie while inside it... most of the time. When someone tried to invoke a LogicBomb by saying "The Liar's Cradle is going to inflict physical harm upon me right now", the subject wasn't incinerated, but instead mysteriously broke into tears and committed suicide as soon as they exited the Cradle.

* ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
** We see a couple [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual parahumans]] guilty of this.
** On the villainous side, Cherish uses her EmotionControl powers this way.

* In ''WebVideo/PokemonApokelypse'', Mewtwo can be seen doing this to Officer Jenny.

** Molly Griggs developed a mind-control computer program and could email instructions to a person to kill someone. At first, she wasn't powerful enough to override the human survival instinct to make them commit suicide but in "[[ExpandedUniverse The Vengeance Chronicles]]" [[spoiler:she tries to make Lex Luthor kill himself using the program]].
** In the episode "Hug", [[CorruptCorporateExecutive CEO Bob Rickman]] ends an investigation of his company when he used his handshake-induced mind control power to make an agent of an EPA-like organization who was onto his corrupt practices jump out of a window. Later, [[spoiler:he and Kyle Tippet, who has the same power, wrestle for control over a handgun while engaged in a battle-of-wills using their powers to make the other kill himself, a battle which Bob loses]].

* There's a heroic (?) example in the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' short story ''Trust Your Instincts". The [[EmpathicWeapon Sword That Sings]], an ornamental sword used to choose the rightful kings and queens of Rethwellan, exerts an influence on the young man who'd held it a year ago to let it indicate the current queen. Becoming obsessed with the memory of its warm, comforting touch on his mind, he breaks in to touch it again and it rocks him with torturous visions of the country falling to an invader who destroys the sword. Cracking under its continued influence, the young man accepts that it wants him to take it to safety, steals the sword from the palace, and heads unprepared in the direction it wants him to go - an obscure mountain pass, in the winter. He realizes towards the end, as he dies of exposure, that the sword never meant for him to ''survive'' and his life was just the means by which the sword wanted to be lost for a time, but he's so addled by its touch that he doesn't mind and thinks he's committing a HeroicSacrifice. Decades or centuries later in ''The Oathbreakers'', Tarma and Kethry find him and the sword and return it to Rethwellan.