“Hope saved my life”: How the Hope project helped men at risk of suicide

Press release issued: 14 July 2022

A project to help men aged 30-64 who are at risk of suicide has saved lives and reduced depression and suicidal thoughts, a study by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded researchers at the University of Bristol has shown. Hope, run by mental health charity Second Step, aims to help men in mental health crisis because of debt, financial, employment or welfare difficulties.

Rates of death from suicide are higher in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) area than other parts of England. The five year average suicide rate in men aged 35 to 64 is 25.9 per 100,000 in Bristol, compared to 19.7 per 100,000 across England.

ONS data shows that around three-quarters of all suicides are among men, with the highest rates occurring in middle age, so Hope is aimed at this group. It was piloted in 2016 and in 2018 it was rolled out across the BNSSG area.

Hope addresses the distress created by debt, financial, employment or welfare difficulties. It takes mental health and social circumstances into account and doesn’t just focus on one aspect of a man’s life.

Read the full University of Bristol press release

'Preventing male suicide through a psychosocial intervention that provides psychological support and tackles financial difficulties: a mixed method evaluation' by Joni Jackson et al. in BMC Psychiatry [open access]

'Providing men at risk of suicide with emotional support and advice with employment, housing and financial difficulties: A qualitative evaluation of the Hope service' by Michelle Farr et al. in the Journal of Mental Health