It would be similar to how cats go off alone to die when they are sick.
Oh, so not THAT valuable.
Evolution isn't directed, and there is no end state. Attributing positive effect to every mutation verges on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleology.
You can look into this further: a lack of physical activity tends to worsen depression, and a hunter-gatherer with reduced mobility and/or other issues that make it hard to interact with the group is most certainly a resource drain. It goes on and on.
Evolution isn't directed but structures and instinct that are truly against the organisms interest are the exception, not the norm.
Bollocks. There is very close to zero evolutionary pressure against (and, of course, even less than that for) having a small percentage of individual of a species decide to off themselves. Especially when it's older males (the most likely age group to commit suicide).
If a tribe can do that, and increase calorie intake simultaneously then there's a double benefit.
Older males [who can't hunt or defend and after trained in anything else] who would end their own lives would improve the survival chances of their own offspring, it seems?
Better the sick person dies voluntarily than infecting everyone else with a deadly disease
I think it's more that they want to unburden themselves, but knowing that doing so will burden their close ones is what keeps them from doing it.
Quite nightmarish, if you think about it.
Your comment assumes a positive change is impossible.
I almost killed myself when I was in high school but decided not to because I didn't want to hurt my family. That bought me enough time to get things straightened out and now I am very thankful to be here.
Does suicide have place in a modern society? Probably not, but at the same time the fact people continue to kill themselves show that people really don't care about the issue. Actions speak louder than words.
It comes down to the fact that most people don't want to acknowledge their incredible privilege in being relatively unburdened by depression, I think.
I happen to know attempting suicide can be quite severely painful. Most people who try do not risk it lightly. And much of the time, in my experience, it's those "people around you" who are to blame for the person wanting to die in the first place. If we're being honest, most of us don't truly do everything we reasonably can to help those with aspirations towards suicide. Many people act as some of those in this comment section are, telling people they're being selfish and weak. How the fuck on Earth does that help matters? And before you assume I only care about myself or something, my best friend just killed himself a few months ago and I cried nonstop for days. I still support his right to do what he did.
It becomes blindingly obvious to me when a person has no idea what it's like living with chronic treatment resistant depression as soon as they open their mouths. It's just ignorance and priviliege and a total misunderstanding of the problem to blame someone who is suicidal for wanting to end their own suffering.