Current research tells us that:

1. men have a suicide rate 3 times higher than women in Ireland
2. domestic violence against men in Northern Ireland has increased by more than 40% in nine years
   
3. men on average die 4-5 years before women

If we're serious about addressing men's mental health and using Men's International Day on 19th of November as a catalyst for long lasting change, we need to move beyond a well-trodden assumption that 'Men don't naturally talk'.

We need to ask better questions so that truly we can safeguard the mental wellbeing of our sons, brothers, dads, uncles, male friends, husbands and partners. We need to be asking questions like:

• How do we actively support men who are struggling?