It’s a sad and tragic fact of modern life.
In Canada, men have a suicide rate three times higher than women. There are several reasons why. Like many issues of mental health, suicide among men is often clouded in cliches. Research shows that contrary to the stereotype, men are NOT in denial about mental health issues as much as they are being socialized to be stoic and self-reliant. Showing emotion is too often perceived as a sign of weakness, as is asking for help.
The bottom-line reality is – men are dying in alarming numbers. Middle-aged men between 40 and 60, are at the highest risk.
According to the stats and details, men are expected to put up with pain or hardship without really showing feelings or complaining. As a result, men are often less likely than women to seek help when they are struggling.
Also, men as a group are more likely than women to lose relationships over time as well, often because they tend to prioritize career and financial success. “Traditionally, there’s not much attention to the mental health struggles of men,” says Robert Olson, research librarian, CMHA Alberta and Centre for Suicide Prevention.
The encouraging news is that men are increasingly talking about their mental health struggles, and there are more initiatives and programs directly addressing men’s mental health issues. Such as Buddy Up! The unique and important program, created by Centre for Suicide Prevention, is a men’s suicide prevention campaign. A call to action for men, by men, to help a buddy.
In simple terms, Buddy Up is not only a testimonial but emphasizes the importance of talking and listening.
It is a much too real, important and delicate situation but, the Buddy Up program encourages talking and listening and watching for telltale signs. Know a friend or colleague who’s been avoiding social situations? Gone MIA on social media? Getting easily frustrated? Or just generally acting out of character? Possible signs that they are struggling, because changes in behavior can be a sign of poor mental health.
“Buddy Up’s goal is to promote authentic conversations among men and their buddies,” Olson points out. “Buddy Up raises awareness, reduces the stigma around suicide, encourages help-offering behaviours and provides men with opportunities to connect with their buddies.”
It’s a disturbing close-to-home stat that of the 56,440 people who contacted the Calgary Distress Centre — including its phone, text, chat and email services — about half identified suicide as their top concern.
Buddy Up coaches men about helping friends and work colleagues who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide in easy-to-deal-with steps.
- Pay attention to signs that your buddy is struggling.
- Start a conversation with them.
- Keep it going by asking them questions and listening.
- Stick to your role – connect your buddy to help and check-in to show support.
Alberta’s energy sector plays a dynamic and vital role with its positivity and enthusiastic participation in the Buddy Up program. “We have a number of energy companies involved with Buddy Up, who helped us launch the Buddy Up Skills Training program,” Olson explains with positivity.
“Through this program, all workers and staff receive basic suicide prevention training and are invited and encouraged to pursue more comprehensive training in the form of half-day and two-day workshops.
“The involvement of companies in the energy sector is valuable because traditional masculine stereotypes are prevalent in Alberta’s oil and gas industry. These stereotypes discourage seeking help and encourage masking stress and dealing with emotional pain through harmful behaviours and actions like drinking and substance use. The energy sector plays an important role in shifting away from traditional masculine stereotypes towards the help-seeking behaviours and vulnerability that can prevent suicide in men,” he says.
“Over the years, mental health has been more and more important as we need to focus and ensure men, and women, all take care of themselves,” says Greg Filipchuk, VP of Operations at SECURE. “At SECURE, we are actively involved with Buddy Up as a way to reinforce awareness to our employees about the importance of mental wellness and the support we have in place for them.”
Although the involvement proactively generates awareness and inspires conversation year-round, Filipchuk mentions an annual fun event of the Buddy Up program. The Oil Rig Rumble Challenge, an exciting (and fun) way to raise funds during Movember, the annual “moustache” charity.
Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.
SECURE’s Filipchuk explains that for 30 exhilarating days, Rumble rallies Canada’s energy sector to champion a cause that hits close to home. “It’s not just about the thrill of competition – it’s about standing up for the one in eight Canadian men diagnosed with prostate cancer and shedding light on mental health issues, especially when a staggering 75 per cent of suicides in Canada involve men.”
The Oil Rig Rumble Challenge is a special Movember way that Alberta energy companies dig deep and go the extra mile for men’s health. “It is terrific and exciting, as names big and small across the oil and gas sector compete for fundraising glory,” he chuckles.
With 78 per cent of oil and gas workers identifying as male, the Oil Rig Rumble represents a time to invest in the industry’s most valuable asset – its workforce.
Besides, the Oil Rig Rumble is perfect way to have fun and build camaraderie among company teammates, start important conversations around men’s mental health and wellbeing, unite the company across teams and locations for a shared purpose, ignite friendly competition with suppliers, clients or industry rivals, and most of all, raise lifesaving funds and awareness for a cause that affects everyone.
“November’s Oil Rig Rumble Challenge was a huge success, raising funds and awareness. SECURE (Energy) congratulates the fantastic teams at Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Teine Energy, ARC Resources Ltd. and Co-op Refinery Complex – the top five energy companies in the Oil Rig Rumble Challenge.”
