Suicide tragedies continue

Reposted with permission from Men’s Health Forum.

A story in today’s Independent is another sad reminder of the high rate of suicide in men and how men’s relationship with work can kill.

“A 20-year-old unemployed gardener killed himself after he was turned down for up to 40 jobs in 12 weeks, his family have said. Martin Hadfield was found dead in his flat in Tottington, Greater Manchester, a day after meeting with staff at his local Jobcentre. Unknown to him, he was being considered for a job in a factory.”

Government figures show that between 2008 and 2010 there were 800 extra male suicides that could be linked to the recession. We know that 3 in 4 suicides are male. Our work with men has highlighted that unemployed men are even more likely to have mental health related worries that those in work.

In Men’s Health Week the Men’s Healh Forum and The Work Foundation will publish a new report Sick of being unemployed: the health issues of out-of-work men and how support services are failing to address them.

For more on why we are looking at this in Men’s Health Week see Men’s Health Week: why work and health?