Jack Fincham, winner of Love Island 2018, talked about his battle with anxiety, depression, mental and emotional health during a recent visit to men’s mental health charity, Andy’s Man Club.
Talking about mental and emotional health Fincham says: “Not a lot of people know that I suffered really badly with anxiety and depression when I was younger. I had to take anti-depressants…it was awful.”
“You don’t want to tell anyone… all of a sudden you’re building up all these things in your head. It all gets too much and gets worse and worse. I wouldn’t leave my room. My mum was begging me to go to the doctors, but I refused to go…. In the end, I found it was better when I started talking about it to family and friends”.
Opening up about mental and emotional health
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, and males make up 75% of all deaths by suicide in the UK. Contributing factors such as the learned behaviour in young men that they should be strong, that crying is a sign of weakness, along with the fear of admitting they are struggling with their mental health can lead to depression and anxiety.
Rather than seeking help, men are more likely than women to self-medicate through substance and alcohol abuse, which can deepen depression and increase impulsive behaviours.
Fincham visited Andy’s Man Club to spread awareness of the need for men to open up about their struggles with mental health.
The charity was founded by Luke Ambler following the devastating death by suicide of his brother in law, Andy in April 2016. The club encourages men to talk about their mental health issues through their network of 20 groups located throughout the UK.
All too often, male suicide comes out of the blue for family and friends, and it is the difficulty men find in seeking help that Andy’s Man Club want to tackle. They encourage their social media followers to use the hashtag #ITSOKAYTOTALK to spread the word that talking is a sign of strength, not weakness.
“It’s an amazing charity and I love the concept of it.”
Run from Halifax, West Yorkshire, by a group of dedicated volunteers, Andy’s Man Club currently has 20 talking clubs for men throughout the UK and continues to grow, with an average of 580 men attending each week.
Founder Luke Ambler encourages anyone struggling with their mental and emotional health to pop along to their local club, even if they aren’t ready to share, simply listening to other men who are struggling can be an enormous help.
Fincham adds: “I think Andy’s Man Club is absolutely brilliant. I love what it stands for… I think having other people that know what you’re going through, and having someone to talk to about it is brilliant, not feeling that someone is judging you, who understands and has experienced what you are going through.
“It’s an amazing charity and I love the concept of it.”
