On 17 November 2022 IP Inclusive and Jonathan’s Voice co-hosted a webinar to mark International Men’s Day in the UK. The theme of the webinar was “Why do men take their lives? – What we know and what we don’t”. Counsellor/psychotherapist Mark Fudge was joined by Susie Bennett to talk about her research into male suicide.
In the UK, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. Despite this representing a major public health crisis, research into male suicide is surprisingly lacking. Jonathan’s Voice is part-funding Susie’s research at the University of Glasgow Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory under the direction of Professor Rory O’Connor.
In this webinar, Susie gave an overview of her research and why she believes it is so important, what the outcomes are so far and how these might be translated into practical support. In particular, she is keen:
- To give men better tools to help them to understand themselves;
- To help everyone to engage more compassionately with the male experience; and
- To support a cultural shift whereby it is OK for men to express their emotions.
Jonathan’s Voice is indebted to Helen Smith who has produced this excellent account of the event and to IP Inclusive on whose website this article first appeared.
