London centre helps 245 suicidal men in first year

Press release

Male suicide charity James’ Place has treated 245 suicidal men since HRH The Prince of Wales, then the Duke of Cambridge, opened its London base one year ago. The charity, which operates from a centre on Bunhill Row near Old Street, offers free, life-saving treatment to suicidal men. Men typically receive six to eight face-to-face sessions with a trained professional therapist in a safe, friendly, non-clinical environment.

Suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under 50. Men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide.

Dan Bracken, Head of James’ Place London said: “We’d like to say thank you to the local community and NHS services in London for their support in referring men to us in our first year and to all the men who have stepped through our doors since we opened last May. We’ve met Londoners from all different backgrounds whose suicidal crisis has largely been driven by life events such as relationship breakdown, financial problems, loneliness or bereavement. Our wonderful team of therapists quickly gets to the heart of their crisis and help them solve it.  If you are a suicidal man and need our support, please do reach out to us. London can be a challenging place to live, and nobody should face a suicidal crisis alone.”

Marwan*, who works in the entertainment industry, was helped by James’ Place last year and said: “I arrived at James’ Place after being referred following months of experiencing suicidal thoughts and actively looking at ways of taking my own life in as painless a way possible. I was given an initial assessment where I felt I could be completely frank about the factors I thought led to this point, however trivial I had previously been told by others these were.”

“I was treated with respect, kindness and understanding throughout my 10-week course of talk therapy, and allowed to reach my comfort zone of being able to talk about why I wanted to end my life following my therapist creating an environment of trust and candour. This in turn unveiled to me other reasons I had never really considered, ranging from my childhood experiences to other sources of trauma that I just didn’t realise were there, as well as helping me understand where my addictive tendencies towards work and substances came from.”

“Since leaving the course my quality of life has greatly improved; it is as if I have learned how to be happy. It has helped me to escape the constant guilt by teaching me that I’m allowed to be human, alongside recognising and removing myself from the environments that are bad for me.”

Men who are in suicidal crisis in London can seek support from James’ Place by contacting them directly Monday-Friday from 9:30am-5:30pm. Visit www.jamesplace.org.uk for more information. If you or someone you know is suicidal you can access 24 hour support via the Samaritans on 116 123, text SHOUT to 85258, or seek help from your local A&E department.

*Name changed to protect identity