It’s time for everyone – men and women of all ages – to start talking about how they really feel. Acknowledging our thoughts and emotions – and those of others – is the only way in which people going through tough times can realise they are not alone and get the help they need.
It is the only way we can realise if people around us are going through dark moments.
Police data offered a glimpse of a grim, sad reality unfolding in the quiet lives of young people.
The rates of suicide and attempted suicide by people under 24 has shown a gradual increase over the last decade.
Last year, five people between the ages of 15 and 24 ended their own life: the highest number since 2014. The pattern was reflected in the number of young people who tried to end their lives: 19 people under the age of 24 in the first six months of the year.
The vast majority of people who died by suicide in the past decade were men: 230 of the 277 total who died by suicide since 2014 were male. This pattern was also seen in the younger age groups: 22 out of the 29 people under 24 who died by suicide since 2014 were boys.
Research carried out by Victim Support Malta has shown a link between lack of expressing emotion and suicidal ideation.
Research also shows that men are less likely to express emotion. Richmond Foundation noted that several factors are depleting young people’s mental health.
These include financial worries fuelled by the spiralling cost of living and rise in property prices, a competitive job market and academic pressure.
There are also major environmental concerns such as over-construction, traffic congestion and lack of green spaces.
Social media exerts tremendous pressure by presenting idealised images of perfection, which many young people unwittingly use as a yardstick for their own self-worth. While it has transformed how we connect with others, social media has also spawned a host of problems and anxieties, often driving vulnerable individuals to the brink.
All these layers are wrapped in social expectations that often stifle emotional expression.
Lynn Sammut from Richmond Foundation said many young men and their loved ones reported struggling with relationships and break-ups, and this sometimes led to the contemplation of suicide.
We are increasingly seeing a generation of people who do not have the skills to deal with life’s problems – and adults who have no idea how to handle them. Not out of their own fault, since the young ones were born into a very different world.
Something must be done. The NGOs have spoken about a multifaceted investment at national level that targets people at all levels: from primary schools (students, parents and teachers) to the broader community.
Awareness about mental health has increased over the years. But it has focused on cure rather than prevention.
More effort is needed to give people the tools to navigate today’s world, to realise when they need help, to notice when others are struggling, and to realise that they are not alone.
The first step is conversation.
These conversations need to happen at all levels: in families, schools, between friends and colleagues, and even at the policymaking level.
We need to be talking about the way we feel, and why. We must come together to find solutions to address this national emotional crisis.
Because there is no other way to describe the number of young people wanting to end their life.