How we approach the stigma of male mental health
In our series giving a glimpse of life at The Independent, indy100 senior reporter Lowenna Waters shows the value of breaking through stereotypes to get to the heart of matters
Last Monday was International Men’s Day, which is an annual rallying cry aimed at drawing attention to the most important issues facing men in the 21st century. One of the biggest crises affecting men is a widespread mental health epidemic, and the statistics speak for themselves: according to the Samaritans’ annual suicide statistics report, 5,812 people died of suicide in the UK in 2017, and a staggering 4,382 of them were men – three-quarters of the total and an average of 12 every single day.
And that’s not all – in the LGBT+ community, three per cent of gay men and five per cent of bisexual men have attempted to take their own lives, compared to 0.4 per cent of heterosexual men. Likewise, black men are 17 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a serious mental health issue.
Throughout my time on the desk, I’ve been lucky enough to interview some fascinating and knowledgeable experts in the field, from Ruby Wax, who has recently released an audiobook to help people beat stress by embracing mindfulness, to TechnicallyRon, aka Aaron Gillies, who writes about his struggles with depression and anxiety to help others.
Because of the tireless work of people like them, stubborn stereotypes around mental health have begun to break down. Other famous people – and often men – have come forward to share their own struggles, from Stephen Fry discussing his bipolar disorder to Prince Harry opening up about panic attacks, and they change the conversation.
Another strand of indy100’s work is to produce fast and shareable takes on the day’s news agenda – often focusing on social media. It was encouraging to see that this International Men’s Day, when the hashtag trended it was often accompanied by messages promoting how men should remember it’s OK to talk about their feelings, seek help for their mental health, or even to break down. That does not make them less of a man.
We’re all too painfully aware that hashtags and inspirational posts on Instagram aren’t enough to heal this crisis. Mental health services are overstretched and underfunded – and that needs to change. We hope that the work we do here at indy100 is pushing towards that goal.
Yours,
Lowenna Waters Senior reporter, indy100