Last month I watched a heart-breaking documentary on the TV about the mental health of young people. During the filming of the documentary, the brother of the cameraman died by committing suicide, due to being thrown out of university and not thinking that he had a future anymore ahead of him. It was a huge loss to the cameraman, as he thought that he had failed his sibling and that he should have supported him more. Unfortunately, the loss of a family member can lead to loneliness and depression, and a feeling that there is no outlet or escape to get back on the path to recovery.
Also, over the past few months I have seen a lot of my close friends mention about loss of family members on social media, by saying that they 'feel lost' without them.
Key Facts
- In 2017 there were 6,213 suicides in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
- Of these, 5,821 suicides were registered in the UK and 392 occurred in the Republic of Ireland.
- In the UK, men are three times as likely to take their own lives than women.
- In the Republic of Ireland, men are four times more likely to take their own lives than women.
- In the UK, the highest suicide rate was for men aged 45-49.
- In the Republic of Ireland, the highest suicide rate was for men aged 25–34 (with an almost identical rate for men aged 45–54).
About StrongMen
Strongmen are a start-up non-profit organisation with aims and ambitions to tackle emotional and mental health issues brought about by the suffering from bereavement.
StrongMen will initially provide and deliver, FREE weekend breaks for men aged between 18 and 55 who have suffered the bereavement of a spouse, child, parent or sibling.
Mental health issues within men is a difficult subject to tackle for many reasons.
Grief is one of the biggest causes of conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress and in extreme cases, PTSD.
It is with personal experience in these issues that the team behind StrongMen believe we can create a unique service that encourages and promotes men speaking out about their problems.
The charity will achieve this in many ways, with the primary focus being on weekend breaks for men based around physical activity’s along with talks and discussions from experts on the importance of looking after your body through areas such as nutrition, leisure and exercise to aid recovery alongside speaking to people about your thoughts and problems.
All donations are greatly appreciated, every little helps. It is for a great cause which I am proud and honored to support. If you would like to join me for this event, please get in touch.
Please visit StrongMen for more details.
Many Thanks,
Ewan
