'It's a massive issue' - Concerning report finds four out of every five suicides are men

Men in Ireland are dying too young of causes that are largely preventable according to new findings from the Real Face of Men's Health report launched today by Movember.

The report reveals that two in five (40.2%) of all male deaths were premature and that men are 40% more likely to die prematurely than women, across each of the five leading causes.

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Men living in the most deprived areas in Ireland were 150% more likely to die before the age of 75 than those living in the least deprived areas.

Health economic analysis for the report also reveals that the five leading causes of years of life lost among Irish men cost over €1 billion in 2023 alone, €716 million which could have been prevented.

The report, produced in partnership with the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland and the National Centre for Men’s Health (SETU) calls for cross Government support to expedite the roll out of the National Men’s Health Action Plan throughout Ireland.

Speaking on Newstalk on Tuesday morning, Director of Policy at Movember, Clíodhna Fitzgerald said this is a milestone report that looks at the state of men's health, the solutions that are Irish homegrown as well as the recommendations to Government for change.

"Two in five men die prematurely, that's deaths less than 75 in Ireland, so when you're looking at the socio-economic status of men in deprived areas of Ireland, they're 1.5 times more likely to die prematurely than men in the least deprived areas," said Clíodhna, "What's really staggering there is, we've looked at a lot of the trends over time and that gap isn't closing or narrowing, it's actually staying steady, or worsening in some cases.

"They're actually not getting the services when they need it. There's a massive issue with stoicism and stigma related to seeking help. It's a huge problem. But what we say in this report, it actually runs deeper than that - it's about the health system responding appropriately in those early intervention days.

"Men are not accessing the care they need at the right time, they're leaving it too late and then we're seeing them down at the critical end which is costing the Government a lot of money.

Ivan Yates, who was hosting the show in place of Pat Kenny, said that he had done a lot of work in the construction industry relating to fundraising with a dedicated charity The Lighthouse which apparently report seven times the amount of suicides in any other sector of employment,

"Like literally people jumping off of scaffolding in desperate situations. What I found on building sites, they're away from home, they're moving from site to site, there's maybe a bit of testosterone and bullying, maybe addiction - drinking, gambling, loneliness - and they don't talk about it. Are those issues mirrored for men everywhere?"

"Absolutely," Clíodhna replied, "But I think the construction industry is a particular high risk occupation, and the findings from this report we see that men are 1.7 times more likely to die from external causes than women, and they include things like; accidents, accidental poisoning, but also suicide. You're talking about 4 out of 5 deaths from suicide are actually male. It's a massive issue.

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Clíodhna went on to say that Ireland was the first country in the world to have a men's health policy back since 2009, and it has really paved the way globally from a men's health perspective.

"Since then we have had the men's health action plan and we're calling for investments in community initiatives, greater investments in early detection [cancers and cardiovascular diseases], we're really focusing on where men are at. We're not expecting men to just start accessing the care but we need to go to them as well."

The report provides a comprehensive assessment of men’s health in Ireland, combining new research and analysis. It details the barriers for men accessing healthcare, the wider impact of men’s ill health, beyond the individual, extending to partners, families and communities as well as the economic costs to the country. It is informed by a nationally representative sample of 2,000 Irish adults plus almost 1,000 caregivers and clinicians combined.

Key Findings:

Barriers to health: GPs said that the two biggest barriers to addressing men’s health issues were a lack of time and men’s reluctance to discuss sensitive topics. Fewer than one in three GPs (29%) felt they had a very good understanding of men’s health. When it came to men specifically addressing mental health concerns, GPs cited stigma, social norms around self-reliance, lack of support networks and fear of career impact as barriers to proactively seeking support.

Mental health: Mental health remains a critical concern. Men account for four in every five suicides (79%), and over nine in ten GPs (97%) encountered men presenting with suicide or suicidal ideation in the past year. On average GPs reported seeing 15 male patients per year presenting with suicidal behaviour with most cases in the 18–34-year-old and 35-54 age group.

The ripple effect of men’s health: The report highlights the ripple effect of men’s ill-health showing the impact goes beyond the individual, impacting families and communities. Six in ten (60%) carers of men – the majority women, reported a decline in their own mental health; 68% said there was an impact on personal energy, and over six in ten (65%) experienced frequent worry and anxiety because of caring responsibilities. Eight in ten carers (80%) said that the barriers they faced negatively affected the quality of care they are able to provide.

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Financial Costs: New research by HealthLumen estimates the costs of the five causes of the largest number of years of life lost to ill health for men in Ireland - coronary heart disease; stroke; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; lung cancer; and suicide. This means that if all these preventable health issues had been avoided in men, Ireland could have potentially saved a total of €716 million in 2023 alone.

Public concern and demand for action: The report calls on the Government to recognise the need to progress the National Men’s Health Action Plan 2024-2028 with a number of recommendations, including investing an initial €10m in the plan, in tandem with commissioning a full cost analysis, and prioritising the development of a cross-Government Policy Statement on Men’s Health.

Men’s health is a unifying issue among the public with three quarters of Irish adults (75%) expressing concern around the current state of men’s health, in particular suicide (75%), loneliness (70%) and men’s mental health challenges (62%).

Over six in ten adults (62%) believe young men are struggling to find purpose in society compared to previous generations. Three in five Irish dads (61%) also indicated they don’t feel supported within their roles and that there is a lack of understanding and support for men as part of the fatherhood journey.