Contributing writer Andrew John Teague
Why are men taking their own lives every year in Yorkshire and Humber?
The Office for National Statistics has revealed that the region has the highest suicide rate for men across England and Wales.
It works out at 20 men in every 100,000 who live in the region actually kill themselves… and Hull seems to be the centre of so many tragedies.
The rate in the region is double the rate for men in London (11.8 per 100,000) and more than a fifth higher than the average in 2019 (16.9 per 100,000) – which itself is the highest recorded rate since 2000.
There were 5,691 suicides registered last year for both men and women, but deaths among males accounted for three-quarters of the figure at 4,303 – meaning suicide is the biggest killer for men under the age of 50.
It has led suicide prevention campaigners to identify several underlying reasons why three times more men kill themselves than women.
Andrew John Teague, co-founder of campaigning groups D.A.D.s and NAAP, spotted the trend after taking a peaceful campaign to Hull.
He said; “Since 2017 dad’s had become aware of suicides in Hull. In 2017 there was an article about a father’s death and it’s link the family courts and separation.
“We are in this so we are well aware how the trauma effects hundreds of thousands of parents around the world after separation. What we have noticed is the trauma being related contact denial.
“Again in 2019 we travel to Hull to raise awareness on suicide and contact denial. Parental alienation is one of the worst forms of that contact denial.
“This is the point where children reject the parent. By far not all the effect contact denial have with a children. For decades the family courts have been the birthplace of children being used.”
For instance one dad killed himself just days after being banned from seeing his daughter, an inquest was told.
Daniel Donnelly, 38, was found dead at home in Hull, Humberside, in February, 20 days after a court barred him from seeing his child.
He had “lived for weekends seeing his daughter”, the coroners’ court heard and had gone clean after battling drug addiction.
A pal said the court ban on seeing his daughter took Mr Donnelly “over the edge”.
The distraught father left suicide notes at the flat where he lived alone.
“It needs to change,” says Chelsey Dalee, once partner of suicide victim Jamie Swalla.
She says dwindling government budgets and rising mental health cases are devastating her home-
town of Hull.
The 31-year-old said: “The situation is disgusting, and it’s only getting worse.
“Jamie was human just like the rest of us. He tried to get help but he was abandoned time and time again.
“This needs to stop.”
Chelsey set up mental health foundation Mysterious Minds that aims to help other families affected by suicide in Hull.
The group has so far helped 50 families in the city, but Chelsey revealed at least 40 of those had lost a male family member to suicide.
“It’s such a huge problem in this area, men need to get talking,” she adds.
“They’re human like the rest of us. They suffer, they have vulnerabilities.
But what is about across the region? Two men who were complete strangers jumped 100ft to their deaths from the Humber Bridge within minutes of each other recently.
The double tragedy sent shock-waves through nearby Grimsby, rated one of the poorest and most deprived areas of Britain. It’s not thought the two men made a suicide pact, though they were last seen 50 metres apart before leaping into the Humber estuary from the bridge, which is nearly a mile and a half long.
Police think it was a complete coincidence they were both there at the same time and jumped into the swirling water at 4am in the morning within minutes of each other.
The families of male suicide victims have backed a regional daily’s campaign to raise awareness of men’s mental health.
The Hull Daily Mail and its sister website Hull Live launched a Speak Up drive after two men,died.
Ian Conlin, the father of 24-year-old Sam Conlin, who was one of the victims, has backed the Mail’s campaign along with the families of others who have taken their own lives.
He said: “I can get behind this campaign 100 per cent. Anything that can just help even just one person go and get help will mean that it has done its job.”
Hull Live digital editor Jenna Thompson told HTFP: “The response from readers has been overwhelmingly supportive of the campaign.
“Many have come forward to share their own mental health struggles and have spoken about the importance of talking about these issues openly and honestly.
“Importantly, the campaign has also been backed by families of those who have taken their own lives who have thanked us for highlighting this issue.”
The suicide rate for men in England and Wales in 2019 was the highest for two decades, official figures show.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on Tuesday, 1st September found there were 5,691 suicides registered, with an age-standardised rate of 11 deaths per 100,000 population.
The ONS said men accounted for about three-quarters of suicide deaths registered in 2019, 4,303 compared with 1,388 women.
Males aged 45 to 49 years had the highest age-specific suicide rate (25.5 deaths per 100,000 males); for females, the age group with the highest rate was 50 to 54 years at 7.4 deaths per 100,000.
Despite having a low number of deaths overall, rates among the under 25s have generally increased in recent years, particularly 10- to 24-year-old females where the rate has increased significantly since 2012 to its highest level with 3.1 deaths per 100,000 females in 2019.
As seen in previous years, the most common method of suicide in England and Wales was hanging, accounting for 61.7% of all suicides among males and 46.7% of all suicides among females.
These can include feeling pressure to conform to ‘masculine’ behaviour, bottling up emotions over fears it shows weakness, refusing to seek medical help and a tendency to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol.
Andrew Teague said; “When has human beings we think of the darkness the falls over the absent parents. We can clearly see the trauma the scars the hurt the pain the breathing shear heartbreak.
“This is of course if people humans could really see and understand. Very difficult indeed when they’re not going through it. In fact no one will ever know without going through it. Raising the awareness on what happens behind the family doors is a critical part on saving children and indeed the absent parents.
“It can never be in THE CHILDS BEST INTEREST to lose a parent
“It can never be THE WISHES AND FEELINGS absent parent left destroyed or worse dead.
“Hull is only one city this happens but the only city to identify the real issues
Awareness is key for saving absent parents.”
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