One
million people take their own lives every year and most of them are men.
In
England and Wales men are three times more likely to commit suicide and 10 men
every day kill themselves.
Men
are twice as likely as women to have suicidal thoughts and 90% of these men
will have a mental health problem at the point where they kill themselves.
Men
of all ages and backgrounds are at greater risk of suicide than their female counterparts
and this post focuses on young male suicide.
Suicide
is now the biggest killer of young men aged 16-34 in the UK taking the life of
930 young men every year according to CALM UK
Male suicide is not a selfish act, it is an act of desperation by a man in intense
pain and male suicide is preventable
Suicide: 10 Reasons Why Young Men Are At Risk Of Suicide
1.
Lack Of Support
2.
Lack Of Effective Coping Strategics
3. Lack
Of Male Role Models
4.
Violence Against Men And Boys
5. Trouble
With The Law
6.
Lack of family support
7.
Lack Of Education
8.
The Burden Of Peacekeeping
9.
Male Unemployment
10.
Lack of appropriate help services
1.
Lack Of Support
Seven of out 10 (67 per cent) of suicidal young men
say they have nowhere to turn for emotional help according to The Samaritans
2.
Lack Of Effective Coping Strategics
Suicidal young men are four times more likely to
smoke and ten times more likely to take an illegal drug to relieve stress
(Samaritas)
Young
men are the most likely group to tell a friend to ‘pullthemselves together’ if
they were feeling low. (Mind)
Young
men (18 to 24) were five times as likely to take recreational drugs when
worried as young women (Mind)
Almost
twice as many men as women drink alcohol to cope with feeling down a strategy
used by 16 per cent of men compared to 8 per cent of women (Mind)
4 out of 10 men who attempt
suicide are chronic problem drinkers and 7 out of 10 male suicides are alcohol related (Mental Health
Foundation)
More than one in three young men would 'smash
something up' instead of talking about their feelings according to The
Samaritans
3. Lack
Of Male Role Models
Less than one in five young men feels able to ask
their father for emotional support
Suicidal
young men are significantly more likely to have no relationship with their father
(Katz et al,1999) with Swedish
researchers finding that suicidal men are twice as likely to be fatherless
Research by the Prince’s Trust has found that
young men who lack of male role model are three times more likely to be
depressed.
4.
Violence
8 out of 10 (78%) of depressed and suicidal young
men have experienced bullying (Samaritans)
7 out of
10 (69%) of suicidal young men have experienced violence from an adult
(Violence)
Young Men are four times more likely to be
victims of violent crime.
Young men aged between 16 and 24 experienced four
times the average
levels of violence (levels in 2009/10 were 13%)
This means 1 in 8 young men are victims of
violence every year
5. Trouble
With The Law
Young men who have been in trouble with the police are
three times more likely to be suicidal (50% compare with 17 per cent of the
non-suicidal young men (Samaritans)
Young offenders are 18 times more likely to
commit suicide
6.
Lack of family support
Boys are more likely to end up in care and men
who were in care are four times more likely to attempt suicide in adulthood
Suicidal
young men are 8 times more likely than non-suicidal counterparts to be living
alone, in
care or hostels or without a family structure (Katz et al, 1999). Irish
A homeless rough sleeper is 35 times more
likely to commit suicide than the average person in the UK
Separated men are twice as likely to commit suicide as other men and 6 times more likely to
commit suicide than separated women
7. Lack Of Education
Boys are four times more likely to be excluded from school and
excluded boys are 19 times more likely to commit suicide
8. The Burden Of Peacekeeping
Men carry the majority of the burden of
peacekeeping putting their lives at risk to serve in the armed forces. Young
men leaving the armed forces at 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide.
9. Unemployment
Male unemployment and suicide increase during a recession
Men who are unemployed are two to three times more
likely to commit suicide.
3 in 5 unemployed people are men
Men are nearly twice as likely to be long-term
unemployed as women
One
in seven men are thought to develop depression within six months of being made
redundant (Kivimaki, 2007).
Young men are considerably more likely to be
unemployed than young women
62% of the total young unemployed cohort is male,
and this proportion rises to 70% of long-term young unemployed people.
10. Lack of appropriate help services
Most reports into the barriers that men face to accessing help and support cite lack of appropriate services as a key barrier. When it comes to mental health, men are twice as likely as women to want help provided at a job
centre or workplace.
SOURCES:
- Killer Facts About Male Suicide (Glen Poole)
- Young People And Suicide (Samaritans)
- Men and Mental Health Report (Mind)
- Young Men Speak Out Report (Samaritans)
- Lack Of Male Role Models Causes Depression (Glen Poole)
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