After a decline in the suicide rate for several decades, suicides are now increasing in Sweden and also in other western countries. Among young people, suicide is the most common cause of death, and in this group, mental illness is rising sharply. From the viewpoint of a planned research project, we ask how the humanities can help reverse this development?

Suicide is one of the most researched human behaviors. However, despite all accumulated knowledge, suicidology is to a significant extent still lashing out in the dark. It has been speculated as to why the riddle of suicide has remained unsolved, that humans in modern society have been divided into three parts, into a psychic, somatic and social one, which are separately guarded by various disciplines such as deep psychology, psychiatry and sociology, with no substantial feedback going on in between.

The humanities, like other fields of disciplines, are a characteristic part of modern society, where differentiation and specialization are a key feature of development. But in addition to the current empirical mapping and theoretical development, the view of knowledge within the humanities may to a greater extent also include the promotion of meta-perspectives, Bildung, empathy and the creation of all-encompassing syntheses, where humans are seen as more complex beings. Simply put, it can be said that the natural scientist studies causal objects that take physical place in time and space, and which are absolutely separated from the researcher, while a scholar of the humanities studies qualitative wholes, which are only comprehensible on the basis of personal experience.

Two decades ago, suicidologist Jan Beskow, together with historian Arne Jarrick, suggested the elaboration of a humanistic suicide prevention, which would be based on existential conditions and culturally mediated metaphors and narratives. The aim was an approach that could include and meet suicidal persons and recognize and accept their “suicidality”". Thus, the sucidal person would be given the opportunity to raise in awareness about his or her unwillingness to live, which, paradoxically, may increase the chance that it can eventually be transformed into a will to live. This underlines the need for understanding and dialogue, which are actually the very theme of the knowledge tradition of the humanities.

This paper approaches three different areas: 1) How can the humanities (with results and perspectives from studies of language, literature, history and philosophy) contribute to a solution of the “suicide enigma”?; 2) How can a “humanistic” prevention be developed at both a clinical and public health policy level, in order to reverse the increase of suicide and mental illness?; And 3), which historical examples of similar or corresponding prevention programs could be identified, and how do they relate to different notions of “humanities”, “human”, “humanitarian” and “humanism”, across different cultural and medical contexts?