Delegates call for help to combat the epidemic of male suicide

A busy afternoon at UNISON’s disabled members’ conference today (Sunday) was dominated by a harrowing debate on men and mental health, which heard testimony from delegates about their personal experiences of male friends or relatives who had taken their own lives. In 2020, 75% of those who took their own lives in the UK were male, with 4,880 men and boys ending their lives – equating to 12 deaths every day of the year. While people of all genders experience mental health problems, gender stereotypes mean that men’s mental health problems often go unnoticed. An incredibly moving speech from one delegate, whose own son had ended his life, was followed by another, by a member who works in mental health in the North West and spoke of spending his working days stopping patients trying to end their lives. “This is real,” he said: “This is massive, because guys won’t say nothing”. That was a recurring theme – of men who are told to ‘man up’, who have been taught that showing emotion is weak and that talking about how they feel is as bad. One delegate talked of how her nephew ended his own life and, now, his son constantly asks: “Why did he do it when he was loved?” She added: “I can’t answer, because I don’t know”. Another delegate told of his own suicide attempt, after an upbringing that never allowed men to talk or acknowledge emotions. He is now involved in Men do Talk, a campaign in Scotland that encourages men to open up. Once again, the ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article News 2022 National Disabled Members Conference Human Rights Act LGBT mental health Source Type: news