In a moving radio segment, Robin Bailey has spoken about the factors that lead to men taking their own lives.
Bailey and her co-hosts Greg Martin and Ed Kavalee were discussing the death of former rugby union player Dan Vickerman on their Brisbane Triple M breakfast radio show on Monday morning.
Marto and Ed asked Bailey, whose husband Tony Smart died by suicide in 2014, for her insight into suicide among men.
“The suicide rate in Australia is one of the worst in the world,” she began.
Listen: Robin Bailey reflects on watching her kids deal with grief. (Post continues after audio.)
The mother-of-three said she’s often asked to speak about what leads to men’s suicide, and mentioned three factors that can contribute to the tragic decision.
“My first (factor) is shame. For Australian men, particularly, there’s this whole thing about being ashamed,” she said.
Bailey clarified that this was an internal shame some men felt — for instance, when they weren’t succeeding or meeting their own expectations.
“It’s not the shame that people put on you, it’s the shame that you feel within yourself.”
The second factor Bailey mentioned was “moments”, referring to author Celia Lashlie’s books about raising boys.
“Boys and men have moments, and in those moments they can do really stupid things… in a moment someone can think suicide is the answer,” she said.
