Male suicide rates in London are at a six year high, as ONS data reveals men’s deaths make up 73% of all suicides in the capital.
Male deaths have not dropped below the 70% mark for all suicides between 2006 to 2024 in London, and were nearly three times higher than females last year, reaching a total of 474 deaths, 65 more deaths than in 2023.
This trend was reflected in regions across England where, on average in 2024, 18 men died by suicide per 100,000 people, compared to just 6 women.
Stuart Fawcett, Southern regional lead for suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club (AMC) said: “There’s three things that are the cause of the stigma in men.
“It’s very much about burden, embarrassment and weakness, because we don’t want to burden our loved ones.
“We don’t want to burden our friends, our colleagues and that naturally leads us to hide away.
“You know, men from different backgrounds, different demographics, see mental health in a very different way.”
Kit MacInnes-Manby, 36, said: “It’s difficult for men to talk, there’s an expectation to grit it out and to figure it out yourself.
“I find it hard to ask for help in general, you don’t want to appear vulnerable.”
Kit, who works in a London based non-profit firm, believes the stereotype of men not discussing their feelings rings true.
He said: “The times I’ve spoken about really personal stuff I can count on one hand.”
The 36-year-old revealed he has explored a number of outlets to deal with his mental health but none of them ever stuck.
In England, males aged 50-54 years of age were found to have the highest suicide rate at 28 deaths per 100,000, and suicide remains to be the biggest killer of men under the age of 54.
Marc Watson, an ex-GP who suffered from undiagnosed bipolar for years, believes it helps for men to have a relatable outlet to be comfortable to discuss their mental health.
He revealed men are less likely to be willing to open up to someone who they do not share a common ground with.
The 45-year-old who is a campaigner for men’s mental health, said: “Men stew on thoughts, are less likely to reach out to get the help they need as they feel it would be seen as weakness.”
Marc, who lives in Richmond, has used his own experiences to advocate for men speaking up about mental health issues.
In 2020, he started posting on social media as an outlet, and has since hosted webinars and appeared on podcasts.
Andy’s Man Club follows a similar mantra, named after Andrew Roberts who sadly took his own life in 2016, the charity runs groups where men over 18 can speak openly about mental health in a non-judgemental environment.
Andy’s family were not aware he was struggling to the extent which he was and thus wanted to look deeper into male suicide and men’s mental health, they found it be be highly stigmatised and ingrained into British culture.
But the NGO is making a significant impact for men discussing their feelings.
Stuart said: “We’re a suicide prevention charity, but it’s become so much more than that.
“It’s a safe place for guys to come and talk, and get stuff off their chest.
“We’re seeing 6,700 men through the door, and when you take into account that on average, it’s about 4,900 men every year in the UK who take their life, there’s got to be some difference.”
AMC has over 330 clubs nationally, and multiple clubs in and around London, they carry out weekly groups 7pm till 9pm every Monday, except bank holidays both online and in person.
They also host an array of other activities such as running events, where families, friends and partners can be involved.
It needs to be noted that the data reported in this article represents suicide registration in England and Wales, this means figures do not necessarily reflect the death rate.
Deaths by suicide are sometimes only registered after a year of more, hence updates are often provided after initial release.
If you have been affected by anything in this article you can contact Samaritans day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
If you are in urgent need of support please contact the emergency services. A new NHS service is also available and details can be found at NHS crisis support including children in England this service can be accessed using the 111 NHS number and selecting the mental health option.
Featured Image sourced from Unsplash
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