Reflecting on the latest ONS data on suicide rates, Sarah Coghlan, Global Director of Men’s Health Promotion, said:
“We are deeply concerned by these latest figures which are further evidence of the monumental amount of work that needs to be done. Around three-quarters of suicides were males (74%), consistent with long-term trends.”
“Movember’s work in mental health focuses on prevention and early intervention which, evidence shows, can have a positive impact on men at risk of poor mental health and suicide. We know from our own research that younger, less affluent men experienced poorer wellbeing, and significantly higher levels of psychological distress compared to all men. This coupled with the Samaritans research showing that young people are likely to bear the brunt of the financial turmoil brought about by the pandemic confirms the need to act now.
“We have been working with other organisations to input into a new Government led national suicide prevention plan, and support the Samaritans' statement that anything less than achieving the lowest national suicide rate in history will be ‘accepting failure’".