A project director has opened up about his own experience of suicidal thoughts while working abroad and how he found the support he needed.
Mick Butler, a project director at ISG, appeared on the video to talk about how he experienced a sudden breakdown.
He found help through the employee assistance programme and a counsellor helped him to identify what had triggered the breakdown. By working through the causes and writing them down, Butler managed to make sense of the issues he was experiencing and started to find ways to improve his mental health. These include getting exercise, which Porter says helped to make him feel better.
- Mental health text service encourages workers to open up
He added that it is important for people working in construction to take care of their own mental health in order to be ready to help others.
He said: “If you are on a plane, and the oxygen mask comes down, you have got to put your own on before you can help anybody else. That’s the same thing with your own mental health. You’ve got to put your own mask on, help yourself, and then you can help others because you are in a better place to do it.”
Porter’s message came following World Suicide Prevention Day earlier this month (10 September). The rates of suicide in construction are three times higher than in other sectors, which has prompted efforts from across the industry to improve mental health in the sector.
For details of where you can find free, confidential support services if you or someone you know needs help or support, go to the Mates in Mind website.
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