‘Male suicide Is Britain’s silent epidemic. We must act now’

It is impossible to ignore the stark reality that male suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK. Every two hours, a man takes his own life. Behind each of these tragedies is a family devastated, friends left heartbroken, a community shaken, and a preventable loss that should shame us into action.  I know, because I, like far too many others, have been left mourning for someone close to me who has taken their life.  I have been left to deal with the unanswerable questions of why and what if.

 We talk too little about this epidemic. If the same number of men were dying every year from a new disease outbreak, it would dominate headlines, fuel emergency debates in Parliament, and command immediate government resources. Yet suicide – the biggest killer of young men in our country – rarely gets the sustained attention it demands.

The data is deeply troubling. Men account for three out of every four suicides in the UK. Working-class men are disproportionately at risk; men in the most deprived communities are far more likely to die by suicide than their wealthier peers. Cultural barriers, the often-macho stigma around vulnerability and the lack of safe spaces to open up, keep too many from seeking help until it is too late.

But men’s mental health cannot be seen in isolation. It is part of a broader crisis in men’s health. The latest Movember Real Face of Men’s Health report revealed that two in five men die prematurely before the age of 75. Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, with 1 in 8 diagnosed in their lifetime. Men are also significantly less likely to engage with healthcare services early, meaning their decision to ignore symptoms of preventable issues become fatal far too often.

This is why the forthcoming Men’s Health Strategy is so important. Due to be launched later this year, it will be England’s first ever national strategy dedicated to men’s health. Following on from the precedents set by countries like Ireland and Australia, if done properly, it can provide a long-overdue, holistic response, putting male suicide prevention at its heart, while tackling the wider spectrum of health issues that disproportionately affect men. 

The Strategy must be ambitious, practical, and resourced. It should:

• Put suicide prevention front and centre — with targeted interventions in high-risk communities, workplaces, and industries like construction, where suicide rates are particularly high.
  
• Normalise conversations about men’s mental health, tackling stigma in schools, workplaces, and through public campaigns led by men themselves.
  
• Deliver healthcare services where men are — from sports clubs and barber shops, to online spaces, to break down barriers to access. And train clinicians to communicate with and respond to men better.
• Address health inequalities by prioritising resources for men living in areas with the highest premature mortality rates, where men are at greatest risk of early death.
  

This year, the government has a chance to lead. To prove that the lives of men, too often cut short, matter enough to deserve a coherent national response. A Men’s Health Strategy must not be a tick-box exercise or a symbolic gesture. It must be a turning point: a strategy that tackles the stigma, invests in services, and saves lives. It must also act on the reality that gay, bisexual and transgender people are more likely to suffer depression, to self-harm and to take their own lives – yet they, sadly, are also less likely to receive the mental health support they need. 

We owe it to the families who have lost fathers, brothers, and sons. We owe it to the communities where funerals come too soon and too often. And we owe it to future generations of men who deserve to live not just longer, but healthier and happier lives.

 Suicide is not inevitable. It is preventable. And the time for action is now.

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