It’s a national tragedy that is not being talked about enough. Suicide rates are three times higher among men in Scotland than women.
It’s the number one cause of death among males under the age of 35. Such statistics illustrate the scale of the issue but they don’t adequately explain the devastation to families.
Too often the national debate on suicide resorts to little more than well-meaning platitudes. But the reality is that greater focus must be made on providing support when it is required.
Vulnerable men need to know they are valued and there are always people they can talk to. Neil McPherson has bravely told of his family’s pain after his son Ross took his own life aged just 22.
Ross had lost friends to suicide and had suffered from anxiety despite having much to live for. Neil wants to encourage young men especially to seek help when they feel at their most vulnerable.
That’s why services like BreathingSpace.scot need to be widely shared. It’s a support network open to people in Scotland that can help make a difference.
Breathing Space is funded by the Scottish Government and run by NHS 24. Its work is vital but there is only so much it can do.
Mental health services in general are overstretched and underfunded. Demand for meaningful one-on-one counselling has never been higher.
But this issue has impacted too many families to be allowed to be swept under the carpet. All young men deserve to be told they can play a positive and fulfilling role in our society.
Zero tolerance
Zero hours contracts used to be a rare practice but they are now an increasingly unwelcome blight on the employment landscape. Figures show the number of Scots with no reliable set hours has increased from 94,000 to 105,000.
It also means a higher percentage of workers are relying on zero hours contracts than in any other UK nation. At the same time, the Tories have chipped away at trade union rights and promised a Brexit bonfire of company regulations.
It is heartening that deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner has promised her party would scrap zero hours contracts if in Government. The pendulum has swung too far away from workers over the last 13 years and there needs to be a re-balancing.
Staff should be guaranteed set hours and this arcane practice must be abolished.
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