Male suicide Dr Rob Hicks looks at the risk factors in male suicide and what each of us can do to help.

In this article

Who's at risk?

Risk factors

Offering support

Suicide is a major cause of preventable death. The number of men ending their own lives has fallen, but too many men still commit suicide.

People who already have a mental health issues are at a greater risk, along with those experiencing depression.

The teenage years can be difficult at the best of times. Emotional and physical development brings the turmoil associated with body changes and a desire for independence.

Problems with alcohol and drugs, the law and school are common at this point in life and are associated with a higher risk.

At the other end of the spectrum, getting older brings bereavement for many people. Loved ones and friends pass on, ill health and loss of independence are more common.

Tragically, in the UK, this usually culminates in social isolation as older people are forgotten about and ignored.

We all feel down from time to time, but most of us don't think things are so bad life isn't worth continuing. However, some things do put a person at greater risk of suicide.

Having tried once, someone is far more likely to try again - and to be successful. One in ten teenagers who takes an overdose will kill themselves within a few years.

Living alone and feeling isolated, whether because of divorce, unemployment or bereavement, often makes people question if life is worth living.

A painful chronic illness that prevents someone getting on with their life, or mental health issues such as severe depression, alcoholism or drug misuse, for example, should flag up the possibility that a person is more likely to consider suicide as a solution to their problems.

Being able to tick one or more of these risk factors doesn't mean, however, that someone is definitely going to kill him or herself. Likewise, crossing them out doesn't mean everything's all right. It's important to be aware, and be prepared.

There are people who would argue that if somebody is intent on killing themselves then there's little any of us can do to prevent it. To a degree this may be true, but it doesn't mean we should sit back and let them get on with it.

Get the person to talk about the way they're feeling, why they want to die, and just listen to them. There's no need to dive in with miraculous solutions to their problems. A person considering suicide needs support, understanding and to know there's professional help available for them.

It's important that the person offering support knows they're not alone in this, too. It can be a frightening and stressful experience to go through.

This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in September 2007.
First published in October 1997.