Every week ten people in Ireland die by suicide. Eight of them are men.
That’s the heart-breaking statistic that has prompted Pieta House, the centre for prevention of self-harm or suicide, to launch a new campaign aimed at reducing male suicide.
Mind Our Men is a nationwide initiative calling on the men and women of Ireland to look our for signs of distress in men close to them, whether they be partners, fathers, brothers, friends or colleagues.
The campaign aims to encourage dialogue around suicide by “inviting you to take action and call, talk to, listen to and visit the men who are closest to you.”
Though most of those who take their own lives in Ireland are men, men account for slightly less than half of those who use the services made available by Pieta House. It’s hoped that by opening up a dialogue more men will feel open to speaking about their suicidal thoughts.
In this video, Pieta House founder Joan Freeman explains how the initiative came about:
You can pledge your support to the initiative on www.mindourmen.ie, where an interactive map shows areas of the country where others have already pledged.
