This Movember Week- Understanding Suicide Among Men!
Suicide Is Real Among Men
We are half way through Movember- the male health issues awareness month! Happy Movember to all the lovely men out there. So far we talked about Prostate & Testicular Cancer, this week we are going to educate our readers on Suicide!
We all understand the pressures of being a man. A man from very early years in life is taught to be tough and is considered weak if he cries! This leaves man with no choice but to keep up his macho personality as men are expected to be tough, financially successful and the smallest vulnerability shown by man, is seen as a scar on their manhood. Man are forced to ‘take it like a man’, it is therefore no surprise that when men are confronted with stress, they are likely to break as they aren’t conditioned to handle stress well, this leads to possible depression and consequently suicide. Suicide is thus 4 times commoner in men than in women, both younger & older men being mostly vulnerable.
Some Of The Common Risk Factors:
- Drug & Alcohol abuse
- Living alone
- Relationship problems
- History of physical and sexual abuse
- History of being bullied
- Unemployment
- Loss of a loved one
- Depression seen as irritability, anger, hostility
If you have come across anyone you know who shows the above warning signs, someone who is disconnected socially, depressed, sees oneself as incompetent, unattractive, guilty or inadequate, shows reckless behaviour, an absence of emotion and irrational thought then this should be taken as a cry for help! Suicide can be prevented, provided one picks up the warning signs and does something about it in time! Depression is very common among the elderly men and can be a cause of worry if taken lightly. If you are lucky enough to pick these warnings then make sure you get help right away. Help can be in the form of support from family, friends, workplace etc., or medical help from either a psychiatrist or psychologist. If someone you know is at imminent danger make sure you call the local police or emergency number for help (911/999)!
For all those men who suffer from depression we urge them to talk to someone they can trust; a friend, a relative or even a doctor! Remember nothing is more valuable than your life! To prevent depression try and take up Yoga or hit the gym regularly. Also remember to eat healthy, avoid or limit alcohol and get your minimum 6 hours of sleep regularly!
