Nigel Jones talks about how a former dental professional’s tragic experience of losing a son to suicide has prompted an epic journey to raise awareness.
In October 2019, Professor John Gibson (former Professor of Medicine in Relation to Dentistry in the University of Glasgow, Chairman of Fitness to Practise at the GDC, Chairman of Dental Protection and Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean for Scotland) and his wife Isobel, experienced the worst nightmare of every parent when their 24-year-old son, Cameron, took his own life. None of Cameron’s family or friends had appreciated he was at risk and all were completely sideswiped by his death. However, the Gibsons’ experience is not unique as more than 6,000 people in the UK take their own lives every year.
Men are roughly three times more likely to end their own lives than women meaning suicide is the biggest single killer of men under 50. New figures show a small reduction in the numbers of people taking their lives in 2020 compared with the previous two years, but there were still more than 6,000 deaths by suicide in the UK during that period.
Despite what may appear to be a reduction in numbers, there are still far too many lives cut short by suicide. It will take more time for the full extent of the effect COVID-19 has had on people to be recorded fully but, in research carried out by The Samaritans 42% of men said that pandemic restrictions have had a negative impact on their mental health.
Behind every suicide is a tragedy, with friends and loved ones left with countless ‘what if’ questions. Following Cameron’s death, John and Isobel founded the Canmore Trust to work in suicide prevention and to support the relatives and friends of people who have taken their own lives. They want to remove the stigma around male mental health issues and suicide in particular, and open up conversations across the UK, emphasising that suicide can happen to any family or community and so suicide is everyone’s business.
To raise the profile of the Trust and suicide awareness, on 13th June, John, Isobel and some friends will begin a 1,200 mile walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, ‘LEJoG’, to try to get people talking about the subject. The route they will walk will be published on an Instagram group #onemanwalkingamilliontalking where you can also find out about John’s work and how you can support him.
The message ‘it’s OK to not be OK’ still hasn’t got through to a lot of men. Even though, according to the Samaritans, 40% of men said that talking to others helped with concerns and worries they had during the pandemic, men still don’t seem to be able to open up. Unhelpful male stereotypes may play a part in this or toxic masculinity, but also, according to the Mental Health Foundation, some research suggests that men who can’t speak openly about their emotions may be less able to recognise symptoms of mental health problems in themselves and so are less likely to reach out for support. They may also be more likely to turn to potentially harmful coping methods such as drugs or alcohol and less likely to talk to family or friends about their mental health.
John and Isobel’s walk is expected to take several weeks and isn’t expected to finish until sometime towards the end of August. I and a number of Practice Plan colleagues have already offered to help out along the way with accommodation, lifts, walking some of the way with them or whatever we can do to help. Although John and Isobel’s main aim is to raise awareness, they are also treating the walk as a fundraiser. If you’d like to make a donation to help fund the work of the Canmore Trust, you can use their online fundraising page here
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