In a recent encounter, the representative of a national women's rights organization was asked how she felt about the fact that the great majority of murder victims in the U.S. were men. Her answer was blunt: "We don't care if men kill themselves off."

In October 2002, Men's Health America released a Special Report that documented how the WHO Report on Violence and Health repeatedly downplays instances of male victimization (1). One of the rebuttals we received to this conclusion was, "Since men are more likely to be the perpetrators of violence, isn't the emphasis on female victimization justified?"

That response mirrors the "We don't care if men kill themselves off" belief. That attitude can be considered an example of willful neglect -- people are aware of the problem, but consciously chose to ignore it.

In contrast, benign neglect can be described as avoidance of a problem due to lack of knowledge or understanding.

The crisis of male suicide is shrouded in silence and neglect. No one knows the extent to which that silence is willful or benign. And it probably doesn't matter.

The DHHS Response Is Unlikely to Succeed

This series of reports has documented the following:

1. Male suicide is a widespread and troubling problem (2).

2. Fathers who commit suicide often do so following a divorce and loss of child custody (3).

3. Male suicide is a problem that is cloaked in silence and neglect (4).

4. Federal agencies such as the National Institute of Mental Health disseminate misleading information about male suicide (5).

Overall, these reports have documented how the Department of Health and Human Services agencies that are charged with leading the nation's fight against suicide have failed to acknowledge, much less remedy, the social and legal causes of male suicide.

On top of that, a review of the websites of these agencies fails to locate a single DHHS research study, fact sheet, or program that is male-specific. This is not surprising, in light of the fact that of the 11 goals and 68 objectives that the DHHS has laid out, all of them are written in a sanitized, gender-neutral language (6).

This is similar to designing a program to stop breast cancer, and failing to account for the fact women are the predominant victims of this disease. In short, the DHHS Goals and Objectives for Action, as currently conceived, are unlikely to succeed because they ignore the fact that being male is the number risk factor for suicide.

Gone, But Not Silenced

Each year, over 23,000 American men kill themselves. That translates into 65 male suicides, day in and day out. That is a social tragedy and a national crisis.

Hopefully, only a small number of Americans share the attitude that "We don't care if men kill themselves off." But clearly, men -- and the women who care about men -- need to stand up and speak out if we want things to change.

Because only we the living can overcome the silence and the void left behind by those men who have taken their own lives.

Express Your Concern:

Clarissa Wittenberg, Director of the NIMH Office of Communications: wittenbc@mail.nih.gov

Thomas R. Insel, MD, Director of the NIMH: ti4g@nih.gov.

-Carey Roberts

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References

1. Men's Health America: The WHO Violence Report: When Victimization Becomes Invisible. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/menshealth, Message Number 596.

2. Carey Roberts: The Continuing Tragedy of Male Suicide.

3. Carey Roberts: Dads Who Take Their Lives.

4. Carey Roberts: Male Suicide: Shrouded in Silence and Neglect.

5. Carey Roberts: Disinformation from the NIMH.

6. National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. www.mentalhealth.org/suicideprevention/