Discussion Suicide in history??

[jojobanana]

I'm reading about the history of suicide. You would think suicide is a relatively new phenomenon. There's very little discussion about it in general conversations about history. Depression. Mental illness. Suicidal ideation. It almost seems like a uniquely modern problem, or a problem of the privileged. As if people from poorer countries do not experience suicide or poor mental health. Of course, I know it exists and happens, but everyone, and I mean everyone, makes it seem like this is a new phenomenon, that it happened rarely in the past, and that it was only people who were extremely mentally ill who experienced it. As if suicide and suicidal ideation were truly extreme in the past, but now are common for some reason.

We know it happened, but it is so hush hush how common it was, or even the thoughts themselves. Now I know that people were so deeply ashamed of how they felt that they often tried to make their deaths look like accidents, so as not to leave shame for the family members who were still alive, or the family would try to hide the cause of death. If this has been the case for most of human history, then why should I be surprised that mental health services, despite all these performative and fake campaigns for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, are still incredibly shit, and that the people running these mental health services are also making mental health worse? Why should I be surprised if this has been our attitude towards mental health for the majority of human history?

 

[U. A.]

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[Forever Sleep]

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I've heard suicide in Roman times was also considered 'honorable' under certain circumstances. Fairly dubious circumstances sometimes. If a person brought shame on their family for example. I wonder if it went the other way. If some people were actually pressured into doing it! But, I think I read they could get help from a physician.

Again though- it was for the more privelaged in society as I understand it. Servants weren't allowed. (Assisted suicide in any case.)

 

[DaBair]

It's there if you know where to look. Every three Greek myths, you have someone dying for trivial reasons. The father of Jason of Argonauts fame committed suicide simply because Jason forgot to put a flag on his ship signalling his success (it was incredibly important to the father that he be successful). His father asked him to signal from afar (as the ship was coming back) via flags whether his mission was successful, and said father was struck with grief simply because nobody considered that maybe someone might honestly forget to raise a flag. Many of the things people die for in Greek myths are so unthinking that, for some of them, there isn't a single person who ever lived who died for any similar reason.

 

[daruino]

The first time I came across suicide as an actual real life phenomenon was when I was preparing a presentation in primary school and came across 'kamikaze'.. I was so fascinated by this topic! Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to hold it in front of the class, but I was able to write a paper on it. Anyways, kamikaze were japanese suicide bomber, though it's not due to mental illness but for the countries glory.

I also can think of many authors and poets who where suicidal, and wrote about themes regarding suicide or perhaps committed themselves.

I wonder if it is perhaps due to lack of information? Gathering informations and seeking explanations in a structured scientific way seems to be something more of recent times... So any information about suicide in history may seem 'rare' and often extreme, also because its part of a bigger story. I thought about Seneca's suicide, but that isn't due to mental health...