Suicide In Young Men And How You Can Get Support

23/01/2017
Barker

Men are under 45 are killing themselves more than anything is killing them.

Facts and Figures

The biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK is suicide, in 76% of all suicide in 2014 were men. More than 6,000 suicide occur every year in the UK and Ireland, that’s one death by suicide every two hours and ten times that number attempt it. Men aged between 45 and 59 are at the highest risk of suicide with a rate of 25.1 per 100,000 population

More men commit suicide than women in almost every country in the world and are three, almost four times more likely to take their own life than women. It is known as the ‘gender paradox of suicidal behaviour’.

These are all disturbing but true statistics, with all the other awful things that are going on in the world its extremely depressing to think that men feel like their biggest enemy is themselves. The majority of people thinking of committing suicide don’t really want to die, but to escape the pain in which they live in. But suicide is not the end of pain, but the end of feeling, of existence, of being.

Causes

So why are men so vulnerable to taking their own life?

The number one cause for suicide is untreated depression, although there is a list of other contributing factors such as:

• Drugs and alcohol misuse.

• The recent death or suicide of a family member or loved one.

• Being unemployed or homeless, financial difficulties can make you feel depressed and worthless. Unemployed people are 2-3 times more likely to die by suicide than those in work.

• Bullying, rejection or social isolation.

One of the main reasons though, in my opinion, is never openly talked about or tackled and that is masculinity.

Men are far less likely to seek help or talk about depressive, suicidal feelings. Statistics show that 72% of people who died by suicide between 2002 and 2012 hadn’t contacted a GP or mental health professional in the year before their suicide. Personally, I believe this is because they feel like asking for help will make them look weak, and with the decline of “masculine” careers like mining men feel like their masculinity is being taken away and so they bottle it up or try to deal with it on their own. Other pressures such as having to appear in control of their lives and looking strong and not showing emotion also contribute to this, a sad truth not helped by a lot of males who still see feelings as weak, feminine or ‘gay’. Bun those guys.

Help and Support

There are many charities and campaigns dedicated to offering help and support to those who need it in relation to suicide, suicidal feelings and self-harm.

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)

CALM is an award-winning charity dedicated to preventing male suicide.

Taken from the website:

‘We offer support to men in the UK, of any age, who are in crisis via our helpline, webchat and website. We challenge a culture that prevents men seeking help when they need it, pushing for changes in policy and practice so that suicide is better prevented via partnerships with The Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC) and the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA). Supporting those bereaved by suicide, through the Suicide After Support Partnership (SASP), hosted by CALM, which aims to ensure that anyone affected by suicide is offered and receives timely and appropriate support.’

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CALM helpline: 0800 58 58 58

You can also talk to them through their webchat between the hours of 5pm to midnight every day.

Samaritans

I can highly recommend the Samaritans if you need to talk to someone and just feel like venting over the phone and not having to worry about being judged.

With 201 branches across the UK and Republic of Ireland, the Samaritans are always here to help. They have a free helpline that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, an email, a post box so you can write to them and branches stationed around the country.

Taken from the website:

‘Samaritans are carefully trained to put aside any personal beliefs, we won’t give you a label, a diagnosis or a prescription. We are totally confidential, you don’t even have to tell us your name, our services are designed so we can’t see your phone number or email address when you contact us. The only way we’ll know your contact details is if you give them to us. Talk to us any time you like, in your own way, and off the record – about whatever’s getting to you. You don’t have to be suicidal.’

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Samaritans contact: 116 123

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA

Or visit any of their branches, Bristol Samaritans located at 37 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1TP.

OTR (Off the Record Bristol)

Off the Record are a Bristol-based charity dedicated to counselling and consoling young people with free, confidential services.

Taken from the website:

‘We run various services and projects across Bristol and South Gloucestershire. They have been designed with the help of young people to promote and improve mental health and wellbeing, and all of them are delivered by a team of super friendly staff and volunteers.’

‘Our team of counsellors come from a wide range of backgrounds, they’ve all chosen to work at OTR because whatever technique they’re trained in, they will listen to what you have to say and won’t judge you. We also run groups on things like anger, mindfulness and anxiety to support young people and help them meet people going through the same issues.’