Key Summary
- The government will invest up to £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men
- They will focus on most deprived areas and other local communities where men are at higher risk of taking their own lives
- The projects will be co-designed with experts and men with lived experience of mental health crisis and suicidal thoughts
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said that suicides are one of the leading causes of death among men under 50, and this has a ripple effect on their families, workplaces, and communities.
The DHSC will publish ‘The Men’s Health Strategy’ this week and invest up to £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men.
They will focus on the most deprived areas and other local communities where men are at a higher risk of taking their own lives.
The projects will be co-designed with experts and men with lived experience of mental health crisis and suicidal thoughts.
The department pointed out that three in four suicide deaths involve men, as they are less likely to seek help and suffer in silence.
In addition, the higher propensity among men to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs, adds up to a crisis in men’s health.
The DHSC pointed out that there is a stark regional variation in the male suicide rate, with the North East and North West recording higher number of suicides than other regions.
The projects will break down barriers that middle-aged men face in seeking support, such as the stigma associated with seeking help and a lack of awareness regarding the support that is available and how to access it.
The project aims to reach those men most at risk and least likely to engage with traditional mental health services.
They will also focus on improving the mental health support for new and expectant fathers, developing support via apps and online groups, and increasing access to specialist support through Best Start Family Hubs.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said, “Men’s health has been overlooked for far too long. It’s a tragedy that men are dying nearly four years earlier than women, and suicide is one of the leading causes of death for men under 50,”
