tw for discussions of suicide bc I’m gonna delve a little deeper into this… sorry op for hijacking your post :,D
I definitely thought about this for a little bit too, just bc it’s so interesting to me ! Like, not all suicidal people are the same of course, but the genuine consensus is that it isn’t really wanting to die, but wanting things to stop, for life to just be over with because being alive is too much to bear. Committing suicide in a hotel that you know brings people back as a ghost is an odd choice, and I think there are a few explanations , that make varying degrees of sense:
1. Nathan didn’t know the hotel was haunted (impossible, absolutely no way to not know the hotel is haunted)
2. Nathan wanted to see the aftermath of his suicide (I think that while this is certainly possible, judging by Nathan’s emotional nature, I don’t think this makes sense for him. Katherine didn’t tell him he killed himself for a reason- though I don’t think that wanting to see the aftermath of your suicide is a toxic trait, because it’s a symptom of mental illness, I personally don’t think Nathan would be the kind of guy that enjoys seeing that, especially considering he would potentially have to see how abbadon, Katherine, or worse case scenario Esther and Ben react to his death.)
3. Nathan didn’t think he would become a ghost: I think this is fairly likely, actually. The concept of unfinished business is silly, and I think that everyone would become a ghost if the only criteria is that you have something you wanted to accomplish in life that you didn’t manage to, but I also think that Nathan is the kind of guy who would have unfinished business but not realized it. After entering a suicidal mindset, it’s fairly likely he didn’t realize that he would become a ghost because he doesn’t think that he has anything for him in life.
4. Nathan committed suicide in a state of distress : this is what I think is the most logical scenario. As someone who has attempted suicide, the mindset you enter is pretty toxic. You’ll do things you wouldn’t do normally, because you’re really in distress. Considering that Nathan had lots of familial / mental health issues and that he ran out of a medication recently (likely lexipro, an antidepressant), I’m guessing he entered a really bad mindset and committed very suddenly.
I think we’ll find out more about Nathan’s suicide in S2, but these are my theories for now.
Side note, but I think that Nathan is a really great representation of mental illness, and I think he’s raised suicide awareness, although the fandom isn’t super large. He’s everything that people don’t expect suicidal people to be like- he’s upbeat and a jokester, and seems like a real family guy, the opposite of a person that seems suicidal. Additionally the fact that several times Katherine comments on having to fix up the hotel makes it feel like the hotel is a metaphor of sorts. I’m sure I’m reading too much into it, but it’s fun to theorize !