CR5 Issue 160 Sept 2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Health By Alison Runham www.alison.runham.co.uk Men, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Suicide is on the rise worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, it’s the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds and nearly 800,000 people die due to suicide every year; that’s one suicide every 40 seconds. There are also around 20 times as many failed attempts. These worrying statistics make World Suicide Prevention Day on <strong>Sept</strong>ember 10th more important than ever – but there are steps we can take to tackle the problem. Suicide Risk Factors Men are at significantly higher risk than women and suicide is the leading cause of death among men under 50. Statistics from The British Psychological Society show that men aged 20-29 and 40-49 are most at risk. The Movember Foundation, which works to raise awareness of men’s health issues, has concluded that men’s reluctance to openly discuss their health and feelings or take action when they’re unwell, coupled with the stigmas still surrounding mental health, are two of the chief reasons why men’s life expectancy remains significantly lower than women’s. The damaging stereotype of the physically and mentally ‘tough’ ‘real man’ is to blame for much of men’s reluctance to express their feelings and seek help, as they fear being labelled weak. The biggest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt, but what drives people to attempt it? The WHO points out that while there are clear links between suicide and mental disorders (including alcohol use disorders), many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis. A trauma, relationship break-up, financial problems or chronic pain and illness can cause high levels of stress that may suddenly overwhelm us and seem too much to cope with. 60 Log into www.cr5.co.uk your local community website! Experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse, or loss and a sense of isolation are also strongly associated with suicidal behaviour, and suicide rates are also high amongst groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees, migrants, indigenous peoples, prisoners and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. So, what can we do to prevent suicide on a personal level and as a society? Suicide Prevention • We need to tackle discrimination and damaging stereotypes. The boy who is brought up to believe he mustn’t cry or admit he’s stressed; the girl who hides her true sexual orientation because she’s grown up hearing gay people ridiculed; the migrant shunned by work colleagues – they’re all at higher risk of isolation and depression, and so at higher risk of suicide. It can be tough to tackle this kind of discrimination among family, friends and colleagues, but it’s important we do so. • We need to tackle the stigmas surrounding mental health. We can do this by challenging negative attitudes and ensuring that in our words and actions, we treat mental illness as just as valid and important as physical illness, acknowledging how closely they are related. Maggie Warrell, founder of Global Courage, recently wrote for Forbes about losing her brother to suicide and the role we must all play in tackling it.
“If people felt as comfortable talking about their PTSD, bipolar or anxiety as they did talking about their eczema or tennis elbow, it would markedly reduce the suffering of those with mental illness and the ability of those around them to support them.” • We need to encourage people, especially men, to express their feelings, seek help with mental health issues and be more aware of the dangers of alcohol and its misuse. Depression and alcohol-related disorders need to be identified and treated as early as possible. “The tragedy of suicide is preventable,” states The British Psychological Society. “Early identification and effective action can get people the care they need.” • We need to pay closer attention to those around us. Many suicide victims were reportedly ‘fine’ just days or even hours before ending their lives, so we should look out for warning signs. If we fear someone we know may be contemplating suicide, we need to get help on their behalf – and take the horribly practical but essential measure of removing, as much as possible, any potential means for suicide, be that a stockpile of pills or a means to fatally injure themselves. If you are struggling with a crisis or a mental health issue, do get help. It may feel like your pain will never end, but things can get better, as bestselling author and depression sufferer Matt Haig reminds us in Reasons to Stay Alive. “Smaller than you. Always it is smaller than you, even when it feels vast. It operates within you; you do not operate within it. It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky, but… you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can’t exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud.” Useful Info Samaritans: www.samaritans.org call 116 123, open 24/7 every day Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – for men www.thecalmzone.net 0800 58 58 58 open 5pm - midnight every day Matt Haig, Reasons to Stay Alive, Canongate Books. Many people who have suffered depression and/ or contemplated suicide credit this book for helping them through crises. To advertise call Lucy on 01737 557888 or 07703 209292 61
Page 1 and 2:
September 2018 London’s Looking f
Page 3 and 4:
Free valuation invitation If you ar
Page 5 and 6:
A walk in the woods, a day of fun,
Page 7 and 8:
To advertise call Lucy on 01737 557
Page 9 and 10: FESTIVE BOOKINGS at The Altonwood G
Page 11 and 12: open evenings 27th September, 1st a
Page 13 and 14: Nurture Fostering are recruiting fo
Page 15 and 16: Chipstead Valley Primary School Gro
Page 17 and 18: ORDER YOURS NOW AT BEADLES KIA to S
Page 19 and 20: At Laleham Lea we firmly believe in
Page 21 and 22: To advertise call Lucy on 01737 557
Page 23 and 24: WES WATT ELECTRICAL SERVICES Ltd FO
Page 25 and 26: ● On-Site Industrial and Domestic
Page 27 and 28: ‘Certificate of Excellence 2018
Page 31 and 32: Hair by Rachel Hair by Rachel COUL
Page 33 and 34: MOBILECURTAINSTUDIO THE CURTAIN STO
Page 37 and 38: expect the person to pick up on sub
Page 39 and 40: Do you need financial advice? Perha
Page 41 and 42: ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]] Thurs
Page 43 and 44: Open Evening Wednesday 19th Septemb
Page 55 and 56: SUNGLASSES WITH EVERY COMPLETE PAIR
Page 57 and 58: www.atlasroofingconstruction.co.uk
Page 59: Maiden Maintenance is dedicated to
Page 63 and 64: APS CR5 T-Shirts Printed Advert 2k1
Page 65 and 66: Beautiful flooring provides the fou
Page 67 and 68: A friendly family business with tra
Page 71 and 72: Family run business based in Surrey
Page 75 and 76: Fully Qualified Local Tradesman All
Page 77 and 78: COULSDON MANOR HOTEL & GOLF CLUB SU
Page 81 and 82: are pigs and people, after scientis
Page 83 and 84: At Elizabeth Court everyone is invo
Page 85 and 86: CR5 Flying Quiz 1. What were the fi
Page 87 and 88: Looking to improve your photography
Page 89 and 90: CR5 Trip Down Memory Lane Mr Croll,
Page 91 and 92: What’s On in the Community FREE p
Page 99 and 100: THE LEXUS CROYDON 68 PLATE EVENT DI
show all

CR5 Issue 160 Sept 2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?