Men in rural communities least likely to seek mental health support

A new Samaritans survey has discovered that men in rural areas (43%) are less likely than men in urban areas (51%) to reach out for support or talk to someone if they are struggling with their mental health.  Women living in rural areas are much more likely than men to seek help with 60%, saying they would talk to someone if they were struggling.

In the UK and Ireland, men are three to four times more likely to die by suicide than women.

Two thirds of men living in rural areas (66%) also said there are a variety of factors that would stop them reaching out for support even if they were struggling. Samaritans discovered the top three barriers are discrimination around mental health (18%), not knowing who to turn to (15%) and lack of awareness of support available (15%).

When it comes to cities across the UK, men and women living in the Leeds area were most likely to reach out for help if they needed it (61%) compared to just 45% of those living in the Bristol area, who were the least likely out of the 17 nearest cities surveyed.

As evidence suggests that suicide rates are higher in rural areas compared to urban areas and rural-based occupations, such as those in agriculture, have also been shown to have an increased risk of suicide[4], the UK’s leading suicide prevention charity is raising awareness amongst men in these environments to let them know they do not need to face things alone.

Michael Brown, from North Yorkshire, grew up on a farm and has gone on to run his own agricultural business. After he attempted to take his own life, Michael’s community rallied round him and he realised he was not as alone as he had imagined. He now dedicates time to tackling mental health discrimination in rural communities by visiting local groups and speaking to male farmers about the importance of talking to someone before reaching crisis point.

Michael said: “Up until my suicide attempt, I didn’t think I had any problems. It’s only after getting the help I should have sought before that it became apparent that I was in a really dark and lonely place. The rural community is fantastic but there is isolation and remoteness – you don’t see anybody new, you don’t get to know what’s going on and that’s difficult because you’re not coming across people to talk to. I’ve learnt how important it really is to talk.

“I think it’s naturally harder for men to open up, particularly men in rural communities, where there is still discrimination around talking about mental health. That’s why I go out and speak to men about my experience and encourage them to talk early on if they are struggling.

“Finally opening up was the start of the flood gates opening. Up to that point, everything in my head was going round so fast. As soon as you talk to somebody, your problems half. Straight away, you’ve opened up, your problem is not yours anymore, you’ve shared it with somebody. That makes life so much easier, and it makes it easier to go get additional help if you need it. It was a long, hard journey but we got through it and we go forward each day.”

This year’s Real People, Real Stories campaign, supported by the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, aims to encourage this harder to reach group to talk to someone about how they are feeling when they are struggling to cope, before reaching crisis point. As real people with positive stories of recovery and hope have been found to be extremely powerful in supporting others who are struggling, Samaritans is sharing experiences from men with rural backgrounds who have overcome tough times to demonstrate the power that human connection and being heard can have.