World Men’s Health Week - Mental Health

This week, 14th – 20th June, the world celebrates Men’s Health Week. Every year, during this week the aim is to draw attention to the health issues that affect males disproportionately.

This year’s focus has been on men’s Mental Health; wanting to help men be more aware of the problems they may experience or may develop and to encourage them to seek support.

The majority of people's mental health has been challenged throughout the pandemic whether by the multiple lockdowns, isolation from family & friends and challenges of home working and schooling, and it's not over yet. As we emerge from what we hope is the worst of the pandemic, it is normal that we all still have questions and concerns and that many anxieties will remain for lots of us.

However, even before the pandemic, men's mental health has been a cause for concern among professionals and communities alike, with 2019 seeing the highest rates of suicides recorded for males in 2 decades and men accounting for around three-quarters of all suicide deaths registered in that year.

There remains a staggering number of men who die from suicide each year and a startlingly low number of men who seek treatment for depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. We anticipate these figures and health inequalities will continue to rise over the coming months as we all face the struggles of social, economic and employment difficulties emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NHS encourages everyone to adopt an approach to mental health known as the ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’ which looks at different activities and actions which can boost your mental wellbeing.

CONNECT, GIVE, TAKE NOTICE, BE ACTIVE & KEEP LEARNING

Let’s normalise and break down the barriers, talking about mental health should carry no stigma or shame. It’s OK not to be OK.

If you live in Cheshire West and Cheshire there are several organisations which can help support you, please find more information on Cheshire West and Chester’s Live Well website www.livewell.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

If you feel your mental health or another non-medical issue is impacting negatively on your wellbeing, and you would like some support please take a look over our Wellbeing Services page to learn how to access our teams based in GP Practices across West Cheshire, or alternatively you can email us at wcccg.wellbeingservices@nhs.net and we will put you in touch with one of our team members.