ChildLine urges boys to speak out about suicidal feelings

Date: 22nd March 2017
Category: Mental health

Boys are 6 times less likely than girls to talk to ChildLine counsellors about suicidal thoughts. ChildLine's new 'Tough To Talk' campaign urges boys to speak out about their problems and reassures them they are not alone.

Recent figures show:

• 1,934 ChildLine counselling sessions were delivered with boys in 2015/16 compared to 11,463 with girls;
• the suicide rate for boys aged 10-19 was more than double that for girls in 2015.

Dame Esther Rantzen, President of ChildLine stated:

"Many girls tell ChildLine they don't want to live any more, and to hear this from any child is heart-breaking. But we know that boys particularly struggle to talk about their despair because they regard it as a weakness to share their feelings.

"We want to encourage them to speak to us on the phone, or online because we also know that if they try to combat these suicidal thoughts alone, they can become overwhelmed by them, and that's when we can lose precious young lives.

"Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for boys and young men. We need to draw attention to this growing problem, and make sure all our desperate children know that ChildLine is there for them, day and night."

• See here for further details and associated video.