Staffordshire woman who lost husband to suicide urges to keep men talking about emotions

A Staffordshire woman whose husband took his own life is urging us to keep the conversation going around suicide prevention.

Jane Davies from Newcastle lost her husband Carl around this time 9 years ago. She said:

"It needs to be spoken about. People need to know what the impact is. What is in our power is helping to change it and let people know there is more ways to get help."

Statistics show men die five years before women, struggle with physical problems without telling their GP and are much more likely to die by suicide.

Jane said: "I mean if you think about how much of a campaign's been done over recent years around mental health full stop - and how hard that was to get out in the public. If we don't talk about it, these statistics are going to increase.

"Carl had his issues that he was dealing with, but then it changed. That one day, one night everything switched around when I thought we were making progress. His answer was actually no.

"I was shattered. It was like someone took a hammer to everything I knew was me and put it into pieces on the floor. And I spent months, years, to get those pieces back together.

"Carl was the love of my life and still is. He was my rock."

It comes as a new global institute is being launched to try and find out more about the statistics and any factors that may be influencing them.

It's being set up by the team behind Movember and will look at physical and mental health as well as men's attitudes to looking after themselves.

Jane added: "Reach out. Talk to somebody. Talk it through."

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