Coronation Street male suicide story "to challenge the damaging stereotypes of a strong, silent man."

Coronation Street male suicide story “to challenge the damaging stereotypes of a strong, silent man.”

People across Salford and the country are welcoming the male suicide story carried out last night on Coronation Street, as it’s set to help males across the country open up about their mental health.

The episode attracted a peak figure of 6.6 million people who watched a man unable to open up about his struggles commit suicide.

CEO of the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) Simon Gunning said:

“Suicide remains the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK and Coronation Street are doing vital work in highlighting such an important issue with this storyline.

“The team at Coronation Street, which is filmed in Salford, were devoted to handling Aidan’s story with care and responsibility and, by combining the stories of David Platt with that of Aidan, they have brilliantly shown that opening up and communicating can literally be a life-saver.

Do you think #CoronationStreet new suicide storyline will raise more awareness about male mental health?

— Salford Now (@SalfordNow) May 8, 2018

“Working with the team of actors, writers and producers at Coronation Street has allowed CALM to engage a huge audience in the scale of this issue and of the devastating effects of suicide and, as a charity dedicated to preventing male suicide.

”We wanted to ensure that support was clearly signposted for any viewers that have been affected by Aidan’s story.”

He added: “we must continue to challenge the damaging stereotypes of a strong, silent man that still exist in our society.”

#Corrie is a very tough watch tonight but superbly done by all involved and hopefully will continue to spark the amazing conversations around suicide that are already taken place. Aidan Connor's suicide story is one that reflects many in the UK ever week. We need to talk. x

— Duncan Lindsay (@DuncanLindsay) May 9, 2018

A profoundly traumatic end to tonight's #CoronationStreet, as Aidan Connor took his own life. A reminder that suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. I've lost a cousin and a friend to it. Please, please, don't suffer in silence. Call @theCALMzone. Get help. #SaveTheMale

— Mathew Hulbert (@HulbertMathew) May 7, 2018

Suicide in men has previously been regarded as a taboo subject but in recent years, the conversation is opening up with more charities raising awareness of the importance in speaking up in an attempt to remove toxic masculinity.

According to a press release from Samaritans, “showing that men can struggle with talking about their feelings and asking for help to the large audiences who watch soaps can encourage people to reach out for help and look out for their friends and loved ones.

“Including a story about suicide in a soap can reach people who may not watch a documentary about suicide.”