Why men in Shropshire are at risk of suicide

"I don't think it's any great secret men are less likely than women to seek emotional support," says Gwyneth Dale, the newly appointed director of Samaritans in Telford and Wrekin.

As a long-serving volunteer with the charity, operating from its base in King Street, Wellington, Gwyneth is familiar with most of the problems faced by men in a state of distress, and her team will lend a sympathetic ear day or night.

"There are many reasons for men contacting us, relationship issues, financial issues, alcohol or other abuse, and mental health problems," she says.

But while women are more likely to share their problems with others, many men still find it difficult to talk about their worries.

"They might feel they need to respond to these problems in a different way, such as alcohol abuse, taking drugs or self-harming," says Mrs Dale.

• Threats to hurt or kill themselves.

• A tendency to talk or write about dying or suicide.

• Signs that they may be considering a suicide attempt, eg stockpiling tablets.

• Complaints about feelings of hopelessness.

• Episodes of sudden rage.

• Talk about feeling trapped, such as saying they can’t see any way out of their current situation.

• Self-harm – including misusing drugs or alcohol.

• Noticeably gaining or losing weight due to a change in their appetite.

• Becoming increasingly withdrawn from people.

• Putting their affairs in order, such as making a will.[/breakout]

New statistics compiled by Manchester University reveal that suicides among middle-aged men with mental health issues had soared over the past nine years. The report said a combination of alcohol, job loss and debt may have been major contributors to this rise.

A separate study, compiled by Samaritans, reveals that men accounted for 78 per cent of the 6,233 suicides in people aged 15 or over during 2013.

The statistics reveal that men aged 45-59 are more likely to take their own lives than any other group, with a death rate of 25 per 100,000 – the highest level since 1981.

Shropshire also has the highest suicide rate in the West Midlands. In Telford and Wrekin District, the overall suicide rate is 10.2 per 100,000 of the population, while in the rest of the county it is 10.1 per 100,000. This compares to a rate of 8.3 per 100,000 for the West Midlands, and 8.8 per 100,000 nationally.

This year Samaritans have overseen a report examining the causes of suicide among middle-aged men. Stephen Hoddell, who was national chairman of the charity at the time of the report, says men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide, and the risk rises 10-fold for men from poorer backgrounds living in deprived areas.

And he says while suicide rates among young men have always received considerable public attention, the number of middle-aged men taking their own lives has never received the same profile.

While the reasons vary, Mrs Dale says relationship problems are a common theme.

"Financial problems are often challenging, and with the changes to the nature of family life over the past few decades, it may be that some men may find it harder to cope and see a way through their difficulties."

This year Samaritans published a report, examining the reasons why men were more vulnerable to the risk of suicide.

Dr Amy Chandler, who is a member of the research team, says middle-aged men often suffer from an identity problem.

"Men currently in their mid-years are the 'buffer' generation," she says.

"They are caught between the traditional silent, strong, austere masculinity of their fathers and the more progressive, open and individualistic generation of their sons. They do not know which of these ways of life and masculine cultures to follow."

Dr Chandler adds that the social changes that have taken place since the 1970s, such as an increase in the number of women in work, more couples separating and people living alone, have also had an impact.

"Men in mid-life are increasingly likely to be living on their own, with little or no experience of coping emotionally or seeking help on their own, and few supportive relationships to fall back on," she adds.

The report says that money problems were a huge contribution to suicides, and called on the Government to look at issues such as economic deprivation, health inequalities, unemployment and social exclusion.

Manchester University's Professor Louis Appleby, chairman of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group, says: "Men are more at risk of suicide because they are more likely to drink heavily, use self-harm methods that are more often fatal and are reluctant to seek help.

"Fifteen years ago the rates among men under 35 were brought down sharply by tackling these problems and we need to use this success to address the problems of the new highest risk group, middle-aged men.

"We need to make it easier for men to find help without shame or stigma."

Professor Shirley Reynolds, from Reading University, says one of the reasons for the rise in suicides is the fact only around 15 per cent of men with depression and anxiety seek help.

"Effective treatment for depression exists, but in general men are a minority of those seeking treatment for depression in the NHS," she says.

"This could be because they are less willing or able to identify problems such as depression – or that they are less willing to ask for help. We know that men, on average, do not use the NHS for physical health problems as readily as women."

Prof Reynolds said mental health and psychological therapy services needed to be made more attractive and accessible to men.

She says it is possible that men aged 45 to 59 are more prone to suicide because they are hardest hit by redundancy and unemployment, and are least likely to believe that their circumstances may improve.

The Manchester University study, which relates solely to men who have been in contact with mental health services, suggests that there is more to the problem than simply men being reluctant to seek help.

The figure reveals that since 2006 there had been a 29 per cent rise in the total number of suicides among all men who had been in contact with mental health services. The report said that in itself was a cause for concern, but the rise among those in their middle years was considerably higher.

Prof Appleby said: "Our findings show that within mental health care, middle-aged men are particularly at risk.

"The problem is not simply that they don't seek help – they are already under mental health care – so we have to understand better the stresses men in this age group face."

Mrs Dale is keen to stress that Samaritans is not just there for people who feel suicidal, saying it is important to reach out to people before their situation becomes so serious. As part of a campaign to encourage people to share their problems, volunteers from the Telford branch had a stand in Telford Shopping Centre on Saturday, where they were handing out leaflets to highlight the fact that somebody is always on hand to talk, day or night.

"We did a survey which showed that a third of people in the UK say they don't like burdening other people with their problems," says Mrs Dale.

"If you talk to your family or your friends, you are not going to have that level of confidentiality, but people can talk to us about anything, and we are completely confidential.

"What we do is provide somewhere that people can talk about their problems without being judged, and they don't need to be suicidal to get in touch with us.

"Sometimes just telling somebody else can help them get through until the next day, when they will call us again. People can contact us whenever they feel low, and sometimes it is a case of people getting through it hour by hour."

• Need someone to talk to? Samaritans are on hand 24 hours a day on 08457 909090, (01952) 256161 or (01743) 369696.

• Samaritans can also be contacted by email at jo@samaritans.org

• For further information see the website www.samaritans.org

• Mental health charity Mind runs a helpline from 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays). Telephone 0300 123 3393, email info@mind.org.uk or text 86463.

• The Green Oak Foundation, based in Shrewsbury, provides counselling for individuals and couples. Call (01743) 340880 or email info@thegreenoakfoundation.co.uk