Mayor shares mental health struggles to help men

A mayor has backed plans for a men's mental health "taskforce" after speaking about his struggles following the death of his father.

Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith said he shut himself off after losing his father Bob in 2021, but said speaking about his feelings, sports and socialising helped him come to terms with his loss.

Mr Skaith was speaking at a council meeting discussing plans to improve men's mental health in the region.

He said: "Men will go running and go to the gym but how much are we actually doing to look after our head space too?"

The mayor, authority officials, NHS and charity representatives, and public health specialists discussed the plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Skaith said: "After losing my dad during the coronavirus pandemic I completely shut myself off and I stopped spending time with my family and friends.

"I wasn't doing anything to care for myself, it wasn't until I went back to sport and being back in that environment with other people started to help."

The mayor said he hoped York and North Yorkshire could lead the way in shifting the dial on men's mental health.

The meeting heard suicide was the biggest killer of men aged 50 and under, and that an estimated four in five men would experience some form of mental health issue during their lives.

They discussed how mental health issues could be tackled locally, particularly given the amount of men working in traditionally male-dominated professions such as farming and the military.

Officials suggested using sport, fitness and pitching mental health self-care to encourage men to become more conscious of the issue.

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