Story
Recently I have been reminded of the often hidden, fragility of the male mind and in response feel motivated to help raise awareness.
Now, more than ever, mental health is a topic of conversation and we are making real progress towards making it less of a taboo subject. However, whilst struggles with mental health affect people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, the reality is that men seek help far less often.
In 2019 there is an increased understanding of how gender stereotypes can be problematic, but in general we still condition men from a young age to believe that crying, or revealing emotions in general, is a sign of weakness. Feeling unable to talk about these perceived weaknesses can very quickly lead to confusion, isolation, self-loathing and ultimately, self-destruction.
- Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK.
- In the last year 34% of men aged 35-44 have felt their life is not worth living.
- In the UK 84 men die by suicide every week.
- 3 in every 4 UK suicides are male.