Suicide is a serious public health problem. Globally, the number of lives lost each year due to suicide exceeds the number of deaths due to homicide and war combined. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries. Although more women attempt suicide than men, male suicide rates are higher, accounting for approximately 79% of all deaths from suicide in the Americas.
Constructions of masculinities clearly play a role in these high rates of suicide. Unless we address the multiple dimensions of masculinity as they affect health within differing cultural and social contexts of evolving interpersonal relations and gender equality, we will be limited in our ability to confront this issue in the Region.
On November 21st, two technical areas of PAHO (the Gender and Cultural Diversity Unit and the Mental Health and Substance Use Unit) coordinated a webinar in Spanish and English on this important issue. The first speaker was Dr. Ricardo González, of the University of Tlaxcala in Mexico, who presented a framework to conceptualize the psychosocial factors of health, within which the construction of masculinities and their health implications, in particular for suicide, can be better understood. He highlighted some of the gender roles and risk-taking behaviors associated with men and masculinities, and identified how these represent challenges for improved health outcomes. He concluded by arguing that much more effort is required to build capacities on gender equality, masculinities and health.
The next presenter was Dr. Claudina Cayetano, Regional Advisor on Mental Health. She highlighted male suicide trends in the Americas, where approximately 53,825 men take their own lives each year and suicide is the third leading cause of death among persons aged 24 to 29. In her presentation, Dr. Cayetano emphasized that suicide is a serious public health issue, and we cannot ignore the high toll of male suicide rates, which is higher in all age groups. Her clear message was that suicide, and especially the high mortality amongst men due to suicide, is preventable and, from a public health perspective, there are actions that are effective and recommended to prevent its occurrence.
Participants debated the interrelation of masculinities and suicide, making a clear call to document good practices that have been successful at preventing suicide, including tackling related constructions of masculinities. A general commitment was made with regards to the need to highlight the issue, continue the debate and involve multiple partners in the effort.
PAHO committed itself to increasing advocacy on integrated responses to the different health needs of men considering their diversity; promoting actions to identify the risk and protective factors related to suicidal behavior; and to raising awareness on the impact of gender on health through quantitative and qualitative research.
