Suicidal males seek aid via text

More and more men are contacting a suicide charity for help by text because “it is easier to type than to talk”.

Suicide charity Console has seen a 49% increase in texts to its service due mainly to an increase in men looking for help from it, figures from the first half of 2015 revealed.

Console’s text service allows people experiencing a suicidal crisis to text the word HELP to a dedicated number — 62% of those using the service are male.

“Most of the increase in the use of the text service comes from young men using their mobile devices,” Paul Kelly, CEO of Console, said. “When people are experiencing this level of crisis, they sometimes find it easier to type than to talk.”

3,914 people texted between January and June 2015, compared to 2,617 for the same period in 2014.

Console’s telephone helpline still reaches out to women more than men, with 61% of the more than 3,400 monthly calls to its free service coming from women.

Developmental psychologist and mental health expert Enda Murphy said that the organisation’s findings conform to the stereotype of men finding it more difficult to express their emotions openly.

“If a counsellor is texting back instead of calling, it feels a lot less confrontational,” he said. “Remember that adolescent young men in crisis situations may have gotten themselves in trouble in school, or with family. This service lets them reach out without being challenged. A lot of these young men are lost in a maze and just looking for a way out.”

Helpline: 1800 247 247 Textline: text HELP to 51444.