A few weeks ago, some friends and I were having a drink and there was someone of a similar age drinking at the bar on his own but was clearly listening to conversations in the hope of being able to join in. So we let him join and spoke about football etc, the things men enjoy talking about. I left quite heartened because loneliness can be a real problem for men whether they are in or out of relationship or in and out of work.Seeing someone just staring into their pint is never a good sign.

Late last month, the latest suicide rates were published and they are disturbing reading. The trend continues that men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women. In 2010 4,231 men took their own lives (17.0 per 100,000) compared to and 1,377 women (5.3 per 100,000). It is an issue the site has raised a number of times (1).

As the Men's Health Forum point out, traditionally the highest age group for men has been 15-44 year old group (currently 16.7 per 100,000) but now it is the 45-74 age group (17.7 per 100,000). The groups are very broad so the Office for National Statistics should refine the groups in the future becuase men (and women) go through a number of life stages between 15-44 and 45-74 so by looking at smaller age ranges will help with conclusions and identifying the reasons why this happens.

The issue of male suicide continues to be an area with little attention especially from policy makers in the government and the health service and the equalities sector. The fact that three times as many men commit suicide than women is a clear inequality but the policy response is limited (not discussed in Parliament) and often the issue is completely ignored. You never hear the Equalities and Human Rights Commission raising it and you never hear of a big government or NHS initiative on this subject. Of course, if three times as many women than men were committing suicide it would always be mentioned. We all wait to see whether the government will actually do anything when it announces the results of its consultation later this year on the subject.

While there are great groups like CALM (a new London helpline and campaign last November) but they need more support and also more policy attention to ensure there are services to help and more awareness campaigns to encourage men to come forward.

In terms of why more men commit suicide, much attention is placed on those with underlying mental health problems but that can be a cop out because it deflects attention from those without those problems. With long-term unemployment for older men being higher than for younger men exacerbated by the recession, it is clear that will be one reason in particular. It also gives the lie that women are the biggest losers of the recession.

There is also the changing role of men and the fact they are becoming second best and are the victims of the aggressive anti-male feminism that rules the UK. The fact that younger men are finding it tough to get on the employment ladder as many traditional male jobs go and the eductaion system continues to blight them.

Silence from policy makers is no longer an option but we all have an individual responsibility to try and ensure we all look after any men we know who we feel are lonely and depressed.

Posted by Skimmington