ORGANISATIONS across the county are encouraging men to speak up about their mental health in recognition of Men's Health Awareness Month and International Men's Day, which falls on 19 November.

Organisations including Northern Rail and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) are pushing for more support for men during this week.

LSCft is encouraging men to speak about their mental health at this time with the target of spreading health awareness month marks an important time to talk about mental health and how we can reduce stigma, change societal expectations, and increase the likelihood of support uptake among men.

Figures from mentalhealth.org report that one in eight men in England suffer from depression, anxiety, OCD or panic disorder.

Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women, with males aged between 45 and 49 at the highest risk.

Chris Oliver, Interim Chief Executive Officer at LSCft said: “For us it’s really important that we raise awareness of this issue because quite simply, anyone taking their own life is one too many.

“As a Trust we are encouraging men to talk, not just in November but throughout the year, if they are struggling with their mental health. We, as well as many other services and charities, are here for you and will support you.

“Men’s Health Awareness Month and International Men's Day act as conversation starters around men’s mental health. We recognise there is often stigma attached but we want to break down these barriers and remind men and their families that we offer mental health support that will always be non-judgemental and approachable.”

StoryTerrace, the UK's largest biography-writing service, is currently highlighting the stigma felt by British men when it comes to sharing their experiences.

Rutger Bruining, Founder of StoryTerrace, discusses the power of writing in supporting positive mental wellbeing, said “We can see from the books being written through our service that men appear much less likely to want to discuss their deepest internal struggles.

“This won't come as a surprise to many - the stigma surrounding mental health in general, but particularly for men, has been well documented.

“However, I find it incredibly inspiring to see on a daily basis at StoryTerrace the amount of people that choose to share their most intimate struggles, often purely with the goal in mind of providing hope for others going through a similar situation. 

"I do think that as a society we are moving in the right direction, and this stigma is gradually being broken down. I also firmly believe that there is power in writing as a cathartic activity - and it doesn't have to be writing a fully-fledged book.

“Journaling has experienced a well-documented boom over the past few years and has been evidenced to make a real difference for our mental health."

StoryTerrace, has revealed that just 37.9% of men’s books that are written via the service are focussed on overcoming personal adversity, in comparison to 62.1% for women.

As it stands, 1-in-4 people will experience a mental health problem each year, according to Mind, with the current financial pressures of the cost-of-living crisis putting further strain on Brits across the country. 

Northern Rail have released an important video message to men everywhere ahead of 19 November, seeking to highlight the importance of physical and mental health check-ups.

Nick Donovan, managing director of Northern, said: “I applaud our male staff for speaking up on a topic that, for some reason, many men still feel uncomfortable talking about.

“The statistics around some of the health conditions raised in their video message are really tough to hear – particularly so because we know some of them are fuelled by a reluctance to seek help at the early stages of those conditions.”

Contact the helpline from the NHS trust call 0800 915 4640 or text Hello to 07860 022 846.

To watch the Northern Rail video click here.