The number of young men committing suicide in Scotland is “heartbreaking”, MSP Rona Mackay has said.
It follows up from a meeting with Dan Proverbs new mental health organisation Brothers in Arms, set up in East Dunbartonshire to help men in crisis.
The Strathkelvin and Bearsden MSP has backed the mental health organisation and told how there is a gap in special help that men need to address mental health issues.
Brothers in Arms wants men to feel like they can ask for help when they need it, so that male suicide can be prevented.
She said: “It is heartbreaking that the biggest killer of men under 45-years-old is suicide – we are in desperate need of groups like Brothers in Arms.
“In meeting Brothers in Arms, I heard about its organisers’ concerns, that there is a cultural barrier preventing men from seeking help, for various complex reasons.
“The group aims to raise awareness of something not often talked about in Scotland, to end the social expectation that men can’t seek help when they need it.
“Men going through problems need to know that they are not alone and there are people out there who want to help them like those in Brothers in Arms.”
Ms Mackay has also lodged a motion marking the start-up of the mental health organisation.
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Find out more about Brothers in Arms: http://brothersinarmsscotland.co.uk
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