Attitudes to a suicide in the 1920s

[Redroger]

My grandmother killed herself in 1901. Reading the newspaper reports it is fairly obvious that she was suffered from undiagnosed post natal depression, having had 2 children with her 70 year old husband in 4 years of marriage.

[heitch]

My GGrandmother's death cert. has cause of death as "Drowning, she having cast herself into the Shropshire Union Canal whilst the balance of her mind was disturbed"

That was in 1938.  Spent the last two years looking for a grave or burial......but to no avail

[Redroger]

Not meaning to be impertinent, but it seems relevant to ask whether the body is known to have been recovered?

[stanmapstone]

If the body was not recovered how would they know the cause of death was drowning 

Stan

[heitch]

 , yes the body was recovered!!  death cert issued after coroners inquest.

[Redroger]

If the body was not recovered how would they know the cause of death was drowning 

Stan

Clearly they wouldn't Stan, but if she was seen in the water and they were unable to reach her a reasonable inference. Anyway the body was recovered, it was just a thought as the burial has not been traced.

[heitch]

What I'm missing is why they assumed suicide as opposed to accident I've found one newspaper report, in which the husband assumed she had gone to her mothers..........as in, everything normal?

[GailS]

Suicide is such a sad thing, my MiL mother took her own life (in the 1970's) and it is still not talked about by the family, I understand she was very depressed.

We had a very sad suicide here in our town by a teenage boy, just so very very sad, the High school he attended handeled it very well, and the kids had councelling available to them, he to cut his own throat, it must have been a dreadful thing to find.

[heitch]

I always think, "why wasnt anyone there for them?"

Truth is, they were...........but to sink to that level of depression makes it an illness that nobody (at a level head) will ever understand.