An interesting topic, one that I can closely relate too. Thanks to the relative anonymity of the internet and my almost desperate need for communication at this point I feel semi-comfortable disclosing what is perhaps my most closely guarded secret with the faceless internet goers. I apologize in advance for this story before the actual answers to your questions, however I find it more useful to understand why a person holds a certain belief rather than simply what the belief is.

Slightly over a year ago I had made the decision to kill myself. For those of you who care the remainder of this paragraph contains the events that I feel relevant to my arriving at that decision, for those of you who don't feel free to skip to the next paragraph in which I answer each of SignerJ's questions. After having traversed a hell of a childhood involving frequent beatings, constantly being reminded that I wasn't good enough, and having been repeatedly blamed by both as the cause my parents divorce, I had finally transition into the relative freedom of what is known as "High School". Due to a crippling lack of social skill and having been completely devoid of trust for any other being, I quickly became an outcast whose only purpose was to serve as the but of crude jokes for the brief entertainment of those surrounding. I never responded, remaining almost completely passive through it all. When any of the alleged good people who, for whatever reason, seem to hold a vested interest in the emotional and physical well being of all those around would ask if their words had bothered me I always answered in ways that suggested I had been as apathetic as I had seemed to their words. But deep inside the words cut deep leave gaping wounds within my psyche. At least at first. The mask I wore through the day gradually became less and less difficult to maintain, eventually it seemed almost as if it naturally asserted itself, I came to believe the lie I told that their words meant nothing to me. Not long after that the thrill of pestering someone who didn't respond wore off and I was left alone, but I maintained my facade, I still do to this day, and it engrained itself into almost every aspect of my life. The event that finally triggered my decision was that in the hatchback of the SUV that I drove there was a pellet gun box which contained an unloaded pellet gun and a handful of scattered bee-bees. That day the security guard noticed the box in the back of the vehicle, I was called down to the office and later expelled. I saw what little hope of any enjoyable future die that day. I picked a day and a device not even a week later, prepared a way to explain to the only person who I felt truly cared, and resigned myself to my fate. Certain events altered what actually occurred that day, obviously because I'm still here, but there is still the occasional nagging at the back of my mind encouraging me to finish what I had started.

Now that the emotional vent is over with I'll proceed to answer your questions.

I don't see suicide as an objectively bad thing. Objectively, in some case I think it should almost be commendable, such as a person advanced in age who is no longer able to contribute to society decided to end there life so as to no longer consume resources that could be better spent On younger more promising individuals. Subjectively, I can understand the desire behind it, I can almost see the use behind it, though one must be absolutely certain that that is the decision they want for it is rather permanent.

I have had but a handful of people close to me and none of them has ever approached me with such a scenario. I'd rather not attempt to extrapolate what I would feel if I were to be approached with such a topic for how I would like to think I'd respond is likely very different than how I would respond.

Much like the previous question, I've never had the experience and would rather not contribute false information.

I believe my personal experiences related to suicide are sufficiently described in the wall of text preceding my answers.