More funding to help reduce the number of male suicides in Kent has been announced, as it’s revealed that calls to a mental health support helpline by men have increased by 76%.

The Release the Pressure campaign, which hopes to encourage men feeling under pressure to seek help, has been running for a year across Kent.

Over the past year, 6,577 men have made a call with an average of 548 each month.

The number of women calling was 12,668, an increase of 23%.

In 2016, there was a drop in the number of people taking their own lives, with 140 registered suicides.

Of these, 104 were men which is a slight fall from 116 male suicides in 2015, but the rate of suicide in the county is still higher than the national average.

The campaign was launched after figures revealed suicide is the leading killer of men under 45, and urges people to seek help by calling a free hotline on 0800 107 0160.

Trained staff are available 24/7 and support is provided by independent charity Mental Health Matters and funded by Kent County Council.

Alan Heyes from Mental Health Matters said: “Not everyone has friends or family that they can open up to, but we know that talking about issues can be a great way to start to feel better. Speaking to someone in our team who isn’t going to judge you can help you start getting your life back on track.”

KCC has been awarded £100,000 from the mental health programme at Health Education England, KSS, to be spent delivering suicide prevention training to organisations and voluntary sector groups to improve the support available for people when they are going through rough patches in their lives.

Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT) has also received £50,000 of funding to enhance the suicide prevention training provided to mental health professionals.

Email phworkforcedevelopment@kent.gov.uk to find out about training sessions.

Click here for more information on the campaign.