Talking about mental health is a sign of strength, says international rugby鈥檚 most-experienced referee Nigel Owens.
Nigel, who has taken charge of 80 Test matches and refereed the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final, says men in particular need to be encouraged to speak up.
His comments followed a report by the Welsh National Assembly鈥檚 health committee which revealed that last year 360 people took their own lives in Wales 鈥� the highest figure since 1981 鈥� with 278 of those deaths being men.
鈥淚t is all about catching it early,鈥� said Owens, who has always openly discussed his own mental health battles. 鈥淭he later you leave it the less chance you have recovering from it, so we need to help people identify the issues.
鈥淭he longer you leave it the less chance you have of getting over it and sometimes it will take your life before you can deal with it.
鈥淚t is an illness and people are starting to understand it and take it seriously.
鈥淢ost of the people who are taking their lives are men. I think this comes down to the macho image men have. This is why it鈥檚 important to encourage men to speak up.
鈥淢en seem to think that they can鈥檛 ask for help and they have to carry a burden.
鈥淚 think that is the issue and they need to understand this is not a sign of weakness to be having problems.
鈥淚 think women tend to be better at expressing their feelings and seeking help than men and I think that is reflected in the amount of men and boys who take their own life.鈥�
Nigel Owens is one of the most respected referees in world rugby
More awareness
Owens, 46, who is one of the most recognisable and respected referees in his sport, says that the more that mental health is discussed the more likely people are to seek help.
And he called for more mental health resources, particularly in schools.
鈥淭he more awareness is raised, the more people will hopefully speak out about it 鈥� which, in turn, will help people come out to seek help,鈥� said Owens.
鈥淗owever, once more people start to come forward, you need to be in a position and have the resources to cater for the people seeking help.
鈥淚 tell people that it is actually a sign of great strength to talk about mental health issues, whether it be mental health issues eating disorders or bullying.
鈥淲hen people accept there are issues they need to deal with and start to talk about it, they can move onto the next stage of seeking help.
鈥淏ut unless there is provision in place within the NHS, and the local doctors鈥� surgeries, then we are not going to see an improvement.
鈥淚 think we are lagging behind in that regard.
鈥淎 lot of the expertise and help people need is simply not there at the moment.
鈥淭here needs to be an investment and additions to the school curriculum when mental health issues are spoken about.
鈥淐hildren need to be aware of it and taught to deal with it.鈥�
I have been there
Owens, who referees in the Guinness Pro14 and the Heineken Champions Cup, used his听 newspaper to听reference his own battles and how people can find help.
He said: 鈥淲hen I hear about these people taking their own lives, or contemplating taking their own lives, I find it very worrying and very sad because I myself was one of those people. I have been there.
鈥淚n the Gwendraeth Valley where I live I know of five young men between the ages of 16-30, and a young girl, who have taken their own lives in the last three years.
鈥淭wo of them were family and it truly breaks my heart.
鈥淚f I hadn鈥檛 learnt an important lesson about understanding myself and that there are important issues I needed to deal with, I could have prevented myself from attempting to take my own life by seeking and having help.
鈥淎t the time I didn鈥檛 know who to speak to and where to go for help.
鈥淵ou have to help yourself first of all or be encouraged to help yourself 鈥� this is easier said than done.
鈥淗elping yourself is not being told things like 鈥榤an up and get on with it鈥�. Helping yourself is accepting there are issues you need to deal with so you can go and do something about it.
鈥淗owever, when you reach this stage, you need support in place.
鈥淚 know how difficult it can be when you ask for help but it is not there. This is where, unfortunately, we are lagging way behind.鈥�
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