Medical Discourse on Suicide in Post-War Britain - To Decriminalize Suicide and Attempted Suicide

This study aims to reconstruct the medical discourse on suicide in the late 1940s and 1950s and identify the strategies employed by medical professionals to decriminalize suicide. Despite the emergence of suicide as an important social issue in post-war Britain, the subject remained largely outside the purview of the public, policy makers and various specialist groups. However, the medical community approached the topic from a professional perspective, formed collective opinions as a specialist group, and sought to change the status quo and existing laws related to suicide. As a result, they became the only group actively engaged in the movement for suicide law reform. The strategies devised by medical professionals proved effective. They distanced themselves from moral and religious debates, framing suicide as a practical and value-neutral issue. They also adhered to a deterministic paradigm, defining suicide as the result of uncontrollable and, therefore, excusable circumstances. Factors such as mental illness, social isolation, and specific familial background were identified as major contributors to self-destruction. By focusing on cases of attempted suicide, rather than completed suicides, they shifted the debate in their favor. Finally, they argued that decriminalizing suicide would not weaken social control but instead provide a solid foundation for more efficient and powerful regulation. This discourse produced by medical professionals ultimately culminated in the passage of the Suicide Act 1961.