Shrinking Back from Shrinks: Suicidal Youth Avoiding Professional Help in Shame and Fear, Finland 1960–1980s

Abstract A persisting problem in suicide prevention is that suicidal people do not reach out for help. This article examines the socio-cultural reasons young people had for concealing their suicidality instead of seeking help in Finland in the 1960s–1980s, a period which saw a staggering rise in youth suicides. Young people’s writings about suicide or suicidality, published in newspaper youth columns, revealed several overlapping themes: shame and stigma, expectations to cope alone, and distrust towards mental health professionals. This article argues that young people did not seek professional help because they perceived it to be futile or harmful. Discussions among peers in the media did not encourage seeking professional help. Instead, young people found help from their peers. This article demonstrates how reluctance to seek help is socially and culturally produced. It contributes to the little-researched history of suicidal ideation and offers another viewpoint on the history of suicide prevention.