Monday 8 October 2012

MEN AND MENTAL HEALTH

A meeting this evening, long in the planning, at Diversity Hub, Churchgate, on the topic, "Men and Mental Health".

This follows on from a number of "Men as Leaders" workshops (which kicked off with a first meeting in the bowels of Leicester Adult Education College on International Women's Day, 8 March 2012 - see blog post for that day). Some of the men who were at that meeting are here for this one.

Like the meeting in March, this one is keyed to an international commemorative event: this is World Mental Health Week.

Men tend not to be very at addressing their health needs - mental health being no different.

Professionally, I'm often involved in activities, projects and schemes associated with taboos of one sort or another among the faith and cultural communities: domestic violence, forced marriage, organ donation - you name it. So it's surprising (even refreshing and stimulating) to realise that this evening I'm a member of a community - white British males of a certain age - for whom, by and large, their mental health is a taboo subject.

And accordingly, it took me blooming ages to do this blog post; writing and rewriting it until all it appears as is this cut down version of something that had pretensions to be more insightful.

No comments:

Post a Comment