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SINCE the start of the war in Iraq 170 young British men have been killed in combat. In that time, 6,729 young men aged 15-34 have killed themselves in Britain.

At a time when suicide is one of the biggest killers of young men in this country, a major one-day conference, being hosted on Tuesday, by the University of Reading’s Charlie Waller Institute, will examine the science, stigma and solutions associated with men’s mental health.

The conference will provide the latest research on men’s mental health and examine the stigma associated with seeking help.

It will also look at ways to help break the silence that surrounds the issue.

Keynote speakers include major figures working in the area of men’s mental health, including Louise Appleby, National Director for Mental Health in England, Michael Addis, Professor of Psychology at Clark University in the USA, Keith Hawton, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Centre for Suicide Research at the University of Oxford and Graham Thornicroft, Professor of Community Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.

Professor Roz Shafran, Co-director of the Charlie Waller Institute of Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment, said:

“The scale of the problem of suicide both locally and globally is shocking.

"Suicides in men outnumber those in women by 4:1; every single minute there are two more deaths by suicide. Why the rate of suicide is so high is a difficult question to answer, but the majority of those who commit suicide suffer from symptoms of depression. There are reasonably good treatments for depression but there is still a stigma associated with having mental health problems and seeking help, particularly for men.

“Our conference is aimed at professionals working in the area of mental health, men who suffer with mental health problems and carers. We will be sharing the latest research and hearing from those affected and those working with suicidal young men.”

The Charlie Waller Institute at the University of Reading trains therapists to provide the sort of treatment that has been shown to work in scientific trials. The Institute runs regular workshops to train therapists to effectively treat a wide range of mental health problems.

To find out more about the conference, which takes place at the Best Western Calcot Hotel on Bath Road, Reading please email cwi@reading.ac.uk or download a booking form from www.reading.ac.uk/charliewaller. Telephone 0118 378 6668.

All proceeds from the conference go to the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust¹ – www.cwmt.org