Non-disclosure of mental health issues ‘contributing to male suicide’

MEN’S continuing inability to admit to mental health problems is contributing to the high suicide rate among males, a conference will hear tomorrow.

Citing official figures that show that four times as many men die by suicide than women in Ireland, Anne Cleary from University College Dublin said that while society had changed and it was more acceptable for males to share feelings of disquiet over depression, many men still felt unable to raise the issue.

The forum, which will be opened by Health Minister Mary Harney in Dublin tomorrow, is part of National Men’s Health Week, which began yesterday. The event is organised by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland.

The theme this year is men’s mental health and the steps being taken to provide more services for males.

Sociologist Ms Cleary said that while hospitals were now engaged in more follow-up treatment for men who attend initial therapy sessions, more must be done to give men an acceptable outlet to speak about mental health problems.

She said that not disclosing is an enormous issue for men; “Men will often discuss different topics such as sport and other activities, but there can be an anxiety when one of them might start getting confessional. The minute it is brought up the shutters go down or there is a slight edginess.”

In a study published last year involving interviews with 52 men who had made serious suicide attempts, Anne Cleary found that: “Non-disclosure emerged as a major theme in the study and was a widespread and prolonged pattern of behaviour for almost all the men.

“Over two-thirds (67%) said they would never disclose emotional matters to anyone. More specifically, almost none had spoken of the distress which led to the suicidal action.”

“I think there has been a huge progression in society in recent years and I do not think it has been routed throughout society. There needs to be different approaches for some men because counselling doesn’t suit a lot of men,” she said.

Alan George, of the Men’s Health Forum, said a range of events to be launched this week would save lives.

“We need to engage with men, to understand them and to change the dreadful situation where some of them would rather take their own lives than seek help, he said.”

Speakers at the forum also include psychologist Dr Tony Humphreys, Owen Metcalfe, associate director, Institute of Public Health, and Martin Rogan, national care group manager of mental health services at the HSE.