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Not Feeling the Best: Men’s Narratives on Suicide and Depression

Barry Taylor Taylor Made Consultancy. Not Feeling the Best: Men’s Narratives on Suicide and Depression. Men & Suicide How Do We Explain It?. Many dimensions to understanding the phenomenon of the over representation of males in suicide statistics

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Not Feeling the Best: Men’s Narratives on Suicide and Depression

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  1. Barry Taylor Taylor Made Consultancy Not Feeling the Best:Men’s Narratives on Suicide and Depression

  2. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Many dimensions to understanding the phenomenon of the over representation of males in suicide statistics • Cannot just be explained through the lens of psychiatric epidemiology

  3. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Expand the narrative from mad, bad and sad. • Suicide prevention strategies must be inclusive of a range of disciplines and analysis. • That which is NOT included is just as important as that which is.

  4. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Also need to look at: • Sociological • Gender Roles • Social Construction of notions of mental illness, seeking help, counselling • Internal vs External Resiliency

  5. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Males traditionally over represented in the statistics for deaths by suicide. • The generational cluster who came to our attention 1986 - 1994 are still represented in suicide statistics

  6. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • What was the experience / values / worldview of this generational cluster that contributed to the rise of depression and suicide? • Generation Y young women are taking on more male risk taking behaviours.

  7. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Spirituality has something to offer: • Connection • Meaning • Purpose • Hope • Common themes as Resiliency literacy

  8. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Male Spirituality, rites of passage help young man to experience and understand sense of: • Mortality • Limitations • Vulnerability • Living within a social system

  9. Men & SuicideHow Do We Explain It? • Need to understand the impact of Shame - “mate” • Sense of forgiveness of self / others • “Utu” - restoring / making right • Compassion • Restorative justice • Reciprocity

  10. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Different discourses but some similar themes across contexts: • Not on top of it • Going through a rough patch • Feeling out of sorts • Not coping • Feeling flat • Tends to neutralise - does not indicate the depth of emotions experienced

  11. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Masked Depression: • Feelings of sadness replaced with rage, anger, violence, sabotaging, acting out behaviour • Aim of therapeutic interventions and mental health promotion messages should be an invitation to explore in depth.

  12. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Identification of emotions must be balanced with ability to reach out. • Expectation for “people to know” • Degree of proactiveness of mates does socio-economic determinants • Young Mens Study - Jesuit Social Services

  13. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Stigma in naming Depression • However when named there can be relief - may explain why they are feeling this way • After naming there can be a reluctance to engage with treatment • Treatment challenges “ability to cope”

  14. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Risk calculation in compliance with treatment • Arapax vs Climax - impact of medication on sexual functioning • Challenge is to have men to talk with each other about their depression and the ways of dealing with it.

  15. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • While men may be comfortable to talk to women about problems - need to challenge the myth that men won’t talk with men • Create community dialogue lead by social commentators • Example of John Kirwan • Beyond Blue Initiative

  16. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Influence of behaviour by significant males • Sons of Vietnam Veterans were 50% of client of VVCS. • Positive outcomes for young men with depression and behavioural issues in mentoring programmes.

  17. Men & SuicideDiscourse of Depression • Challenge to both clinicians and mental health promoters • Need for more qualitative research on men’s experience of depression • More men especially from over represented groups eg Maori men to participate in the solution finding

  18. Men & SuicideTake home points • Draw on a range of disciplines to understand men’s experience of depression • Mental health promotion messages need to be developed by men for men • Mental health promotion messages must be careful not to denigrate men and masculinity but use that which we see as barriers to become solutions

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