What would be your argument to Jasmine?
Having seen this movie several times over the past few years I'm struck by how solid Jasmine's decision to end her life appears.
I've found myself on both sides of the argument over the years, worked psych back in the seventies & eighties, even done a bit of crises counseling, but I'll be damned if I could mount an effective counter-argument to Jasmine's determination. She tells Arliss that he's encountered her in a particularly interesting & stimulating moment. Just trying to imagine what a grind it would be to deal with her illness day by day ... is it even fair to ask her not to kill herself under these circumstances?
Even if she agreed for the sake of building a relationship with you, what then? She stays until you inevitably are forced away & is left even worse off than before (it's worth noting that in spite of her despair, Jasmine isn't bitter, or even especially angry--at least not with anyone but herself).
Arliss's arguments don't even come close, but that may because such arguments don't exist--imagine, for example, if you were in Jasmine's predicament & someone started chirping at you how "suicide in a permanent answer to a temporary problem"!
Sometimes there isn't anything that can be said, & I do believe that's one, perhaps minor, theme of the movie.