'Movember' - Shining a light on Men's Mental Health

This week’s blog has been written by Senior Lecturer Carly Lawrence, who was inspired by the upcoming ‘Movember’ campaign. Carly hopes to shine a light on Men’s Mental Health, offering some signs to look for, linking some of the support open to those struggling or looking to help their loved ones. Carly also shares details on upcoming challenges aimed to get us all talking about the important subject of Men’s Mental Health.

‘Movember’ in November

As we welcome November, with the days seemingly getting shorter & the nights longer, sometimes it feels as though we are living in the dark. Those working shifts may feel this more and it is important that we take the opportunity to shine a little light where we can.

November importantly brings Bonfire Night, the beginning of the countdown to Christmas but, perhaps more poignantly, it also brings Men’s Mental Health Month.

It’s a topic that should not be a taboo; 74% of suicides in England and Wales – that’s nearly 3 of 4 – happen to men (ONS, 2021). This makes suicide the largest killer of men under the age of 50 (Campaign Against Living Miserably, 2023). It is time that the stigma associated with talking about mental health in men to be removed. It is time to support each other.

There is no getting away from the sad fact that the above figures only involve cases that come to the fore. With so many incidents unreported, this may be linked to the stigma surrounding mental health in men.

With phrases like ‘men don’t cry’ still unfortunately prevalent today, and historic views about masculinity and the expectation of men to be strong and resilient equally as significant, does that suggest that mental health struggles make men weaker? Or would talking about the issues impacting men, helping those seek support – whether for depression, stress, anxiety – actually make them stronger?

Everyone has a role in making change, so let us seek to show those men in our lives that we support them and do not want them to suffer in silence as so many often do.

What to look for?

Image of rocks piled on top of each other

There are many factors that impact men’s mental health which we need to understand better. The factors of course will vary from man to man; from relationship break downs, workplace pressures, physical health problems, exposure to trauma, unemployment, and in today’s climate financial pressures. This list is of course not exhaustive but starts to paint a picture of how day-to-day life can have an impact. It’s important to remember that it’s not always those big moments that cause a decline in mental health but can be lots of smaller stressors that can build.

When we consider some of these factors, is it any surprise that police officers are and can be often significantly impacted by mental health problems? Collectively officers had 571,000 days off in 2022 due to their mental health, that’s the equivalent of having 1,600 less officers a year (Police Federation, 2023). Between 2011 – 2021 we lost 157 male officers from all ranks, and 20 female officers, to suicide (ONS, 2022). It is as important as it has ever been that we stand united and supportive of each other in these moments.

Each and every one of us plays a key role in supporting those men in our lives – whether that be friends, family, partners or colleagues – but in order to provide that support we need to be able to recognise some signs.

The NHS state that those experiencing mental health problems may exhibit the following signs:

Increased irritability
Disturbed sleep or sleeping more than usual
Becoming anxious
Becoming forgetful
Avoiding situations
Change in eating habits (eating more or less)
Lack of concentration
Headaches and/or dizziness

So how can we help?

Picture of Senior Lecturer Matt Gaunt from 2022 with his attempt at 'Movember', raising money for Bowel Cancer. — Matt Gaunt’s 2022 ‘Movember’ in support of Bowel Cancer charities.

There are several support agencies who can help with understanding how best to support those struggling, we’ve listed some below.

That said, here are some suggested things that you can do to show support; Let them know you’re there to listen to them without judgement, remember someone who is experiencing mental health problems may find it hard to reach out, so try to keep in touch. A text message or a phone call could make a big difference. If it’s the right time, then help get them help.

The Police Federation England and Wales (PFEW) are showing their support by taking part in MOVEMBER. You can show your support along with the PFEW for Movember in a number of different ways, whether that is by growing a showstopping moustache, arranging some fundraising events that encourage social and mental wellbeing, donating to a great cause (link below) or just talking openly about men’s mental health – every little bit helps.

The campaign recognises that globally 60 men an hour take their own lives – that’s a man a minute. In recognition of this, members are being encouraged to walk the same number of kilometres (60km) over the course of November. This will not only show support but aide your own mental health with exercise shown to improve mental wellbeing.

The Movember site gives some ideas and challenges, along with the opportunity to compete head-to-head with fellow colleagues in the Emergency Services, friends, family or strangers & it’s all in the name of charity.

A reminder from 28 times Olympic Medal winner:

‘We’re supposed to be this big, macho, physically strong human beings [but] this is not a weakness, we are seeking and reaching for help.’
Michael Phelps, 2018.

Links to support

Oscar Kilo are running a Wellbeing of investigators week of action between 13th – 17th November. Find out about their sessions here.

Link to the Police Federation of England and Wales’ Movember fundraising page: Movember – Team.

Editorial Team

Paul Williamson (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Middleton (Tripartite Assessor – Policing); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer).

If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact paul.williamson@uwe.ac.uk

‘Movember’ – Shining a light on Men’s Mental Health