{"id":59404,"date":"2024-04-26T07:38:59","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/?p=59404"},"modified":"2024-04-26T07:39:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T07:39:00","slug":"father-who-lost-his-son-aims-to-make-suicide-prevention-everyones-business-by-hosting-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/04\/26\/father-who-lost-his-son-aims-to-make-suicide-prevention-everyones-business-by-hosting-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Father who lost his son aims to make suicide prevention \u2018everyone’s business\u2019 by hosting conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A former journalist who reported on stories across the world and co-founder of a charity set up to prevent suicide is set to host a conference next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike McCarthy, one of the founders of the Baton of Hope charity will host a conference in Sheffield on May 16. He lost his 31-year-old son Ross to suicide in February 2021 and has made it his mission to change the discourse on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference is a follow-up to the UK’s biggest suicide prevention and awareness initiative, which visited 12 cities in 12 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charity wants to support open conversation, destigmatise the subject and break down barriers related to the language used when discussing suicide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers at the event include mental health campaigner Alastair Campbell and Professor Rory O\u2019Connor, President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr McCarthy’s inspiration to start the Baton of Hope was to honour Ross\u2019 final wish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cRoss left us a farewell letter, and one of the things he said was, \u2018Please fight for mental health, the support is just not there\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ross took his own life after a long battle with depression- just two weeks before his death he was told he faced a six month waiting list for therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr McCarthy, who wants to change the way suicide is framed in language, formed the charity with fellow grieving father Steve Phillip who also lost his son, Jordan, to suicide.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the phrase \u2018committed suicide\u2019 wrongly implies that suicide is a crime and a conscious choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was only when I lost my son that I realised how hurtful it is when you hear the phrase, because Ross was many things, but he wasn\u2019t a criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The rate of suicide in the UK has remained stagnant over the past 15 years; it remains the biggest killer of men under 50 and women under 35. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf this was a physical illness, maybe we would treat it with a little more urgency. We would spend more money on research, there would be more coverage in the media,\u201d said Mr McCarthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men\u2019s mental health and suicide rates are critical concerns in the UK, with approximately three quarters of all suicides being male.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr McCarthy believes that societal attitudes towards masculinity play a significant role in preventing men seeking help and speaking up about their suicidal thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLanguage such as \u2018man up\u2019\u00a0 basically translates to \u2018bottle it up\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuicide affects both genders but men in particular need to open up about their emotions otherwise this tragedy is going to continue,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Nobody is immune to suicide.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information and for tickets for the conference, visit the Baton of Hope website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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