The reality of the issue of men’s mental health and the stigma surrounding it was highlighted to me recently when a young man I knew passed away suddenly. He was known to have been experiencing some mental health problems and although it is not clear if there was any direct link to his death, the fact that he suffered with mental health problems caused many significant responses, some of which were alarming and upsetting, whilst others were more positive, compassionate and uplifting.
The young man was from the African-Caribbean community where there is, like many communities, stigma in relation to mental ill-health. This is despite the high number of African-Caribbean men who suffer with mental health difficulties whilst in contrast there is an underrepresentation of black boys and men seeking or receiving mental health services.
The spectre of social media also raised its head when a video of the young man was posted online and there were a lot of comments made that reflected the manner in which people who are afraid and ill-informed often respond.
A community responds
However, following the tragic news of his death the response from within the local black community was amazingly supportive and positive. There were a number of events in his name, and it has also been the catalyst for more conversations about mental health between young and older members of the community.
An event was held following his death called ‘Time to Talk’, and I and many others who attended were blown away with the powerful stories that were told, particularly two young black men who felt able to stand up on a stage in front of 50 people – most of whom they did not know – and talk candidly, explicitly and emotionally about their own very personal experiences of struggles in life and how their mental health had been affected adversely. But, they were also able to speak about where they had found support and positivity.
A glimmer of hope
Breaking down the stigma around mental health in all areas of society is essential, but those of us who live in communities or social groups that continue to experience the worse outcomes, and have the least access to support, need to have more opportunities for conversations that allow people’s voices to be heard so that mental health is normalised and is spoken about more freely.
What I witnessed on that day was the glimmer of hope that I hope will become more of a beacon of light to help break down stigma, improve understanding and bring communities together around the subject of mental health.