Update on my interview with Dr Andrew Mayers

My interview with Mr Mayers was very insightful and incredibly useful for my documentary where I will be attempting to conclude, why 76% of all suicides in 2014 were male? Why men?

Along with being a psychologist specialising in child and family mental health, Mr Mayers also serves as a Patron and Trustee for the Samaritans of Bournemouth and District and Patron for Dorset Mind. Additionally, he also works closely with the Dorset Health Care University NHS Foundation Trust on the Dorset Police mental health street triage.

“Men are much less likely to come forward and talk about their mental health problems than women”

Mr Mayers has years of experience both working with bereaved families and researching into mental health, and was very passionate about promoting mental health and challenging stigma, prejudice and discrimination in all areas of society.

Here is a sneak peek of my interview with him, which won’t be included in my actual radio documentary – stay tuned for more…

Questions I asked Mr Mayers:

• Why do you think men are four times more likely to take their own lives than women?
• Do you think there is a taboo surrounding male mental health and why do you think this is?
• Is the term, committed suicide outdated?
• Do you think society needs to change, in order for the suicide rates to fall, or do you think its down to isolated individual cases?
• Do you think the problem we are facing in relation to high rates of male suicide, is how men see themselves in the world, meaning their role and place and what impact this has on their mental health?
• Men drink more, visit the doctor less, and take more fatal methods – is it simply biological?
• Do you think being financially dependable and being the ‘main breadwinner’ has a big effect on male mental health?
• Do you believe that the expectation that ‘real men should be strong, silent and in control’ is a huge barrier to men seeking help?
• What are your opinions on the argument that Debt, austerity and unemployment are acting as catalysts in the rising number of British men who have killed themselves since 2008 according to new research?
• Do you think there is a lack of funding and a failure to roll out a national prevention strategy?
• In your opinion how do we actually prevent male suicide?