Christmas season is tough for some
The weeks leading up to Christmas are usually about sending cards, battling the wind and rain to pick up last-minute gifts and late night karaoke at the work’s night out.
But for too many people, this time of year is a lonely battle with stress and anxiety while everyone else seems to be having the time of their lives.
Christmas makes everything seem bigger, the good and the bad.
For anyone who is homeless, has lost a loved one, or is struggling to get by financially, Christmas can feel more like something to survive rather than celebrate.
This week in parliament, I am bringing the issue of male suicide to a debate in Westminster Hall.
Every suicide is a tragedy and we must do everything we can to tackle it across society.
But data collected by the Office for National Statistics shows that men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women, that is why we must try to understand this issue.
In 2016, there was an eight per cent rise in suicides in Scotland and, in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, 74 per cent of those who took their own lives between 2012 and 2016 were men.
It is the single biggest killer of men aged 20 to 49, but it remains a taboo subject.
Suicide is a complex issue and there are many different factors and individual experiences that lead to someone experiencing suicidal thoughts.
But work has been done to try to identify factors that may increase the risk of suicide in men.
Research by the Samaritans and data from the ONS highlights loneliness from family breakdown or the death of a spouse, the decline of traditionally male-dominated industries, inequality, and social expectations about masculinity as prominent issues in male suicide.
We must work to tackle each of these factors, but a good place to start is with the idea that men must live up to a masculine ideal.
Men need to get better at talking to each other, we need to get over any embarrassment or awkwardness and recognise that being open about how we feel is a good thing.
Something as simple as asking a friend how he feels over a cup of coffee could be all it takes to break the suicidal train of thought and save his life.
We could have the best mental health service in the world, but until we get better at identifying men who need support with their mental health, we are unlikely to see an improvement in these statistics.
The way to do that is to encourage men not to suppress their feelings but to talk about them. I want to wish every family in Rutherglen and Hamilton West a wonderful and happy Christmas, but as we finish off the last-minute shopping, we should also remember that there are some things money can’t buy.
Let’s keep in mind those who may not be having the best festive season – a conversation and some company might be all they need.
A conversation and some company might be all they really need