Shifting the narrative on male suicide

The National Men’s Lived Experience Network facilitated a workshop, 'Shifting the Narrative on Male Suicide', at the Lived Experience of Suicide Summit 2025.

Jonathan Bedloe, Independent Trainer, Facilitator and Project Manager was one of the facilitators and shares insights gained through the workshop. He highlights how the workshop allowed for open discussion with a focus on solutions to better reach men through suicide prevention activities.

The workshop offered participants an opportunity to connect and join a conversation to explore consciously how we might adapt our current practices to support men and prevent male suicide.

Network facilitators, Tynan Narywonczyk, James Gallacher and John Milham started the workshop with recorded excerpts of one man’s journey of living with suicidal thoughts while battling a terminal illness. A rousing rendition of Working Class Man by Jimmy Barnes helped to complete our introduction and connect the 96 workshop participants with struggles faced by many men considering suicide.

How we might support men considering suicide was explored. The Emotional Culture Deck tool, a card-based conversation tool helps to support structured conversation that explores culture, feelings and experience, was used to explore how we might create spaces where men feel safe to open up and seek help. A focus on feelings was used for this workshop because people often take action based on how they feel.

If services don’t consider and listen to the lived experience of men and how they want to feel and don’t want to feel, we may miss the opportunity to reach men when they do seek assistance.

What do we want men to feel through our support?

Workshop participants clearly expressed the desire for male clients to feel connected and supported, knowing they have a reliable network to turn to; a sense of connection that builds resilience and feelings of belonging; feel safe and included with an understanding of what they need to be able to make progress; and optimism and empowerment were seen as vital in helping men face their challenges with confidence.

How we create these supportive environments and help foster these positive feelings?

Participants stated that by ensuring active listening - without rushing to offer solutions - we can show care and allow men to feel heard. As people supporting men, we can champion and model vulnerability as a strength, rather than a weakness. Building relationships through sharing our common experiences creates trust and support.

While the positive focus on what we want the men to feel is important and instructive, it can be just as powerful to flip the conversation and to focus briefly on what we don’t want suicidal men to feel. We identified that isolation and disconnection worsen despair; and that judgment and shame prevent men from seeking help. Rather than making men feel powerless, we can help them to recognise the control they can have over their journey, which will foster hope and engagement.

Feelings of overwhelm and anxiety may well prevent men from seeking support, so a safe, welcoming space is essential. We may not be able to always prevent men from feeling these things, but there are things we can do to help them cope if they do, and so organisations are encouraged to consider this question in the context of their services.

Barriers to male suicide prevention

The facilitators shared that while the need for more male advocates in suicide prevention is urgent, barriers to their participation and contribution remain. Cultural pressures, assumptions and stigma around male vulnerability often prevent men from engaging. Many men experience judgment for expressing their struggles, while outdated views of masculinity by some men themselves, but also services working to support them, can reinforce these fears.

To tackle these barriers, participants suggested we need to think differently about how we engage men. We can look to local men's initiatives such as Men’s Sheds, The Men’s Table, Man Walks, which are just a few examples of community-based, male-friendly safe programs.

Addressing male suicide means rethinking how we approach men’s mental health. By moving past outdated stereotypes about men and creating environments where men feel supported and heard, we can encourage them to seek help and build stronger connections.

Everyone has a role in reshaping the narrative and supporting men on their journey away from suicide.