"Pelican my impression is that there is little willingness by government to understand the causes of suicide "

I cant agree.

I see it all as a bit of a paradox. I observe an innate inability for anyone in the appropriate industry to reach out to a certain, very common type of man without patronizing and emasculating and alienating him.

It's almost as if anyone in that type of touchy feely caring profession cannot possibly relate to a great many men, and it is akin to an old fogey trying to be cool with the kids by asserting they like a very daggy pop music band.

On the macro level, I have seen the absolutely cringe-worthy attempts by NGO and government to 'reach out' to men with mental health issues.

On the micro level, I personally found I was totally unable to be helped in any way, could not find anyone with the right manner, or the barest of insight into my mindset, took the drugs, went off them, manipulated therapists, went back on them, was further depressed by how easy it was and how amateur and clueless people were, enjoyed it, self medicated, developed my own coping mechanisms, and generally came to a well rounded conclusion that not everything is a problem or condition, some people are just different, and life is a rollercaster, and my realty is just as valid and infinitely more entertaining than the sensible people with sound emotional and mental health.

The sanest people sometimes are the ones who have trouble reconciling the realty of their situation against the official fiction and the eternal lies.

BTW: I did find it very telling in one article I remember on OLO, where the central reason promoted for having a mens health initiative was because of the effect on women of men neglecting their physical and mental health.

PS: Kudos to pelican for avin-a-go.

Sorry peli,

Exhibit A from your links...

' They are the victims of problematic thinking that says mental health disorders are unmanly signs of weakness.'

1. Don't use the word victim.
2. Don't insult people's intelligence.
3. Don't patronize well valued masculine identity.

Three strikes!

FFS!

As Walter said to Lebowski, they're a bunch of f6ckn amateurs!

Translation of the above:

You're a bit of a silly old dinasaur, it's actually quite cute, we know you think you're a man but you're a pathetic simpleton and we need to re-educate you on the correct way to identify as masculine, and tell you it's ok if you want to have a cry and a bit of a cuddle. In a manly kinda way of course. High five! Bro!

Best coming from a man with Tats, to keep it real!

Welcome to Man Therapy?

Seriously?

..

..

yeah.... seriously? Wow. All I can say.

Wow.

Yes I have 2 men in my life who suffer from depression, and it has been hard going through it with them.

I am all for any program or initiative that will assist those with mental pain.
So far, the Governments have not seen mental health issues in quite the same light as physical health issues.

Many men are not good at talking about their inner pain, whereas I believe they feel every bit as bad as women with mental anguish.

They just need to be given permission to express their feelings without being labeled 'soft' or 'sissy' by unfeeling so-called friends or family members.

The worst people who make it hard for men to share their problems are other men.

If we were to ensure there was an advertising campaign about male depression as aggressive as the anti-smoking campaign, we might get somewhere...

What money has the government given or is it to be all voluntary and by donation?

Not sure I can express what I think on this subject.
One that has confronted me my whole working life.
Too many went home from work and killed them selves.
I will try,we changed about the time of the pill, and not always for the better.
Increasingly men are, in my view, slaves not husbands.
Now lets not get too upset, noway I am anti woman.
But controlling ones exist, and some men are victims.
I see men get home from work, to begin work, cleaning cooking and being shouted at.
And on weekends being dragged off to buy on credit, the big new but unneeded thing.
Tough men hard men, but still putty in the hands of the *boss*