This year's theme is "Sharing our Stories", encouraging men to share their stories, taking lead from King Charles who, earlier this year, shared that he had a problem with an enlarged prostate.

On the day after his announcement, there were 16,410 visits to the relevant National Health Service website page compared with 1,414 visits the previous day. Prostate Cancer UK saw an almost doubling in the number of users of its online risk checker. This goes to show the difference that honest sharing can make.

Men's mental health and suicide prevention is also very poignant for men's health week. Suicide is higher in the North East and North Cumbria than in other parts of the country.

The 2023 national strategy suggests we focus on;

• provide tailored, targeted support to priority groups, including those at higher risk.
• address common risk factors linked to suicide at a population level by providing early intervention and tailored support.
• promote online safety and responsible media content to reduce harms, improve support and signposting, and provide helpful messages about suicide and self-harm
• provide effective crisis support across sectors for those who reach crisis point
• reduce access to means and methods of suicide where this is appropriate and necessary as an intervention to prevent suicides
• provide effective bereavement support to those affected by suicide
• make suicide everybody’s business so that we can maximise our collective impact and support to prevent suicides'

Whilst the wider determinants of health are important, reaching out for support and being able to find accessible support is important. There are a number of regional and local initiatives that are available across the region such as:

Papyrus – prevention of young suicide

Samaritans

Man Health -  Supporting men through difficulties in their mental and physical ill health, ultimately to prevent suicide.