Throughout this project, there has been many a moment when I have related information I have been told by my interviewee’s back to my own experience of male suicide.

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At first I thought that this would cause emotional distress, due to the very personal reason of why I decided to select male suicide as my topic of choice, but in fact I have found it to be very therapeutic.

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Frequently, I have been asked by my case studies, i.e the families featuring in my ‘Left Behind’ element of my blog, why I’ve decided to choose male suicide, as it is something which has up until recently, often not been spoken about very frequently within the press, and within society.

Upon disclosing my story with my interviewee’s I have found that it has given them  greater understanding of not only me as a person, but my passion for the topic, which I believe has helped me to gain increased access to those who similarly have been affected.

I have found that by sharing my story with others, people have been more open to discussing their story with me, and have disclosed information that previously they have been hesitant to do so.

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For anyone reading my blog, who themselves have been affected by male suicide, be it immediately through a loved one or family member or if you know someone else who has been affected by male suicide, I encourage you to open up and share your story too.

You will be astounded by how helpful it is to show your vulnerability about a sensitive topic, such as suicide, and how rewarding it is to get a discussion going instead of bottling it up.

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It’s important to remember that you are not alone with your thoughts, and someone, somewhere will understand exactly what you are going through.

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Together, by discussing our own plight we can try and help to make a change in the society we live in, and hopefully put a stop to the thousands of men, young or old, that are sadly taking their own lives every year.

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Click here, to explore ‘Left Behind: life after suicide’, to hear the stories of fellow individuals who have been directly impacted by male suicide.

If you wish to find out more about my own journey, please read My Story.