BBC
Tom Rylatt is campaigning for better help after his brother took his own life
People in Guernsey are urging men to seek support with November marking Men’s Mental Health Month.
The day after Tom Rylatt’s 18th birthday, his brother Chris took his own life
“We don’t have a scan for depression, we don’t have an MRI for anxiety, the only real form of diagnosis for these conditions is conversation,” Mr Rylatt said.
Published last month, the States of Guernsey’s Mortality Trends 2024 report revealed the average number of male suicides per year had risen from 4.0 to 4.3 since the previous 2021 report.
Between 2022-24, 76% of all suicides on the island were men, the report revealed
Mr Rylatt said “as a community we need to make sure we stand together in compassion instead of in judgement, and getting to the point where reaching out for help is a sign of strength and not weakness”.
Ian McCathie helps provide a safe space for men to bond over woodwork in the workshop
Ian McCathie, trustee and treasurer of Men’s Shed Guernsey said “the hardest part is the first step, and men aren’t good at that.”
The Men’s Shed provides a space to socialise and open up, which Mr McCathie said has proven to be important:
“We’ve saved lives already because they’ve had somewhere to go” he added.
‘It’s still remarkably raw’
Gavin St Pier lost his older brother, Justin, on Boxing Day 26 years ago.
He said that “although it was a long time ago, it’s still remarkably raw.”
“The thing is that it is now talked about more, and the language of ‘committing suicide’, the sense that it is a crime, has largely passed – but we can’t get away from the fact that it’s a significant social problem.”
He added: “We just have to continue to do what we can to enable those who are struggling to find a route.”
Men came together to mark Men’s Mental Health Day earlier this month
One man who is doing his bit to help people find that route is Tim Rowe.
After suffering with his own mental health, he sold his house to pursue his goal of helping other men in similar situations.
Having set up Wild Wolf Wellbeing on the island, Mr Rowe led the From Darkness to Light’ walk on Men’s Mental Health Day earlier this month.
He said: “It’s not just a local issue, but on a small scale in Guernsey I think we can make a difference in the statistics easier than a great nation like South Africa or England.”
“We’re providing the spaces to go to for men,” he added, “I ask; ‘without those services what would be happening? What would those statistics be?’”.