ONE of Cornwall NHS’s men’s mental health champions hopes that new support for struggling individuals will encourage men to seek the help they need.

Kate Evans is a counsellor as part of the NHS’s talking therapies team in Cornwall and since being appointed the men’s mental health champion, is on a mission to provide men with access to the support they need.

In 2023, the male suicide rate was 17.1 per 100,000, and in the South West, rates of suicide were the fourth highest regionally.

Having worked as a counsellor for six years, Kate entered the NHS talking therapies team back in 2023, now she aims to spread the word about ways men can be supported within Cornwall.

Kate explained: “We know that suicide is still the biggest killer of men under 50, and middle-aged men are most at risk of that. I think there are lots of contributing factors to that. Changes in life, age, and I think especially in Cornwall there's issues to do with isolation and there's also societal messages as well. Still, I think we are coming out of that because there is much more conversation around men's mental health but I think that whole boys don't cry manner really sticks with people.”

Despite suicide figures, especially among men, still shockingly high, Kate does believe that attitudes are changing.

She continued: “I am seeing men of all ages now, but I tend to get quite young men coming in, so I've got quite a few clients actually in like their twenties, and I think a few years ago, I'm not sure you would have seen that.

“I don't think you would have seen as many young men coming into therapy. So I think it's good that that's changing and hopefully that's opening up. But I think although I do work with men, statistically looking at the people that are referring in, only a third of our referrals are male, despite the fact that male suicide is much higher than in women. So there is definitely a discrepancy in the people that are suffering and the people that are referring in.”

However, a new system is giving Cornwall’s residents easier access to mental health support, offering a self-referral process for talking therapy.

Kate explained: “The system operates on a self-referral basis. People can go online to cornwallft.nhs.uk/talking-therapies or call 01208 871 905 to refer themselves for support.

“It is so much more accessible in the way in that you're not having to go through a doctor, you're not having to wait for an appointment, you can refer yourself and the process starts there.

“When people are referred in, they would be assessed and they would be put on whatever pathway was most appropriate at the time. The psychoeducational groups we have can be accessed almost immediately, so within a month of that assessment they can usually be on a course.”

The service is available to those over 16 and registered to a GP in Cornwall.