Dear friends.. June is Men’s Health Month, and to commemorate this, I am writing an article on men’s experiences of mental health problems, specifically related to depression, suicide and suicidal ideation, poor help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems in men, and societal stereotypes of men that inhibit help-seeking behaviour. Recent stats in SA have shown that 80% of all suicides are now attributed to men, and it has been classed as a ‘national crisis’. So it is vital to break the silence around these issues so that men may feel more comfortable and empowered to talk about their struggles and experiences before it’s too late.
I’m hereby inviting any interested men (or women with men in their lives) who wish to pass the message on to contribute a personal reflection or two about these topics, which will help me bring the article to life through some lived experiences. Your contributions will be kept 100% confidential, and all names will be changed in the article.
If you are interested, you can email any questions and/or your contributions to me at leon@safmh.org, where ONLY I will have access to these.
Thanks in advance for being brave and for helping to fly the flag for mental health.
Leon de Beer
Deputy Director
SA Federation for Mental Health
