This initiative couldn’t be more necessary: In the U.S., the national suicide rate is the highest it’s been in 30 years, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. What’s more, men are at greater risk. White men accounted for seven out of 10 suicides in 2014, and the highest suicide rate was in middle aged men, according to a data analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Stigma is a huge factor in mental health issues and also in suicide, according to Kristin Holland, a behavioral scientist in the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention Surveillance.
“Even when at-risk individuals do seek health care, stigma about suicide can prevent them from disclosing their thoughts about suicide with their medical providers,” Holland told The Huffington Post.
That’s why Luke Ambler, whose brother, Andy, died by suicide at the age of 23, created #ItsOkayToTalk in July, along with the Facebook group, Andy’s Man Club ? to give guys a place to “reach out, speak to people, tell them how you’re feeling, and never let it get too bad… because it’s okay to talk, and we all go through struggles in life,” he told The Telegraph.