12. Suicide, Part 1: Letters, diaries, and notes in the National Archives of Scotland

History of Psychiatry Podcast Series

These nine examples of letters, diaries, and notes build up to what I think is a compelling picture of the despair and powerlessness felt by suicides. Some were left by those who had killed themselves, but most were written by survivors. We can sum up suicide quite simply as a search by those who felt trapped, for an end to unbearable mental anguish. Desperation, darkness, and depth of suffering depressed their minds as they struggled with feelings of being worthless, alone, and pointless. But the extracts also show the range of emotions felt by survivors, from bewilderment and awful comprehension to blame and stigma. IMAGE: French Artist – Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France, engraving. Credit: Bridgeman Art Library / Universal Images Group, Rights Managed / For Education Use Only