Mens Mental Health Awareness

One in four men in the UK suffer from some form of mental health issue. Male suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. In 2015, 75% of all UK suicides were male.  In other words, men are three times more likely than women to take their own lives. Good Morning Britain’s Sean Fletcher leads an expert panel, discussing men’s mental health issues, at the next Pure Land Series event in support of Heads Together at China Exchange on Monday 27th March 2017.  Male mental health is an issue not often discussed, and one that men struggle to talk about.  Fletcher will be joined by mental health experts and advocates: Paul Farmer CBE, CEO of Mind, the UK’s leading mental health charity and one of eight charity partners of the Heads Together campaign, public speaker Jon Salmon and another expert speaker. All members of the panel have either experienced mental health issues first hand, such as Jon Salmon or they deal with it professionally, such as Mind CEO Paul Farmer. This should provide an informed and moving discussion with varying views and insights that will make it an interesting and engaging event. The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session. On the panel is Jon Salmon, who lost his father to suicide as a teenager, and has since been affected by mental illness for many years. He was hospitalised, having suffered a breakdown soon after starting his first job. He later lost someone close to him to suicide in 2016, and at that point realised that speaking out publicly would reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues, and could potentially save lives. Jon Salmon is running the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon in support of Heads Together. He has recently spoken out alongside the young royal patrons of Heads Together. The Duke an Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have all spoken at length about the importance of normalising mental illness by the encouraging sufferers, friends and family to be open around the issue. Jon Salmon is running the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon for Heads Together. Paul Farmer has been Chief Executive of Mind, the leading mental health charity, since 2006.  He is the Chair of the NHS England Mental Health Taskforce, which create the current mental health plan ‘Five Year Forward View’ for the NHS in England. Awarded a CBE in 2016, Paul is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford and The Royal College of Psychiatrists. Through public campaigns, influencing decision makers and the services the local branches of the charity deliver in communities across England and Wales, Mind has touched millions of lives. Sean Fetcher is an American-British journalist and radio broadcast personality, best known for his work with ITV and BBC. Sean co-presents Good Morning Britain as well as being a news reporter and presenter for BBC London, BBC Breakfast, and the BBC News at One. Sean is running the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon in aid Heads Together in April 2017. The Pure Land Series at China Exchange invites inspirational speakers and like-minded people to share their visions of a world grounded in compassion, empowerment, spirituality and creativity. The series is hosted by the Pure Land Foundation, supporting charitable endeavours to promote social, spiritual and emotional wellness. It also aims to enrich lives through art and music.]]>