Mental health counsellor’s initiative around suicide prevention in the construction industry

Reading the data issued by National Statistics (ONS) from 2023 that construction industry workers are now four times more likely to die by suicide than in another sector, saddened and shocked registered BACP Counsellor Sheila McMahon, of Staffordshire.

She had already started her podcast ‘Counsellors Convos’ last year, but decided to dedicate a series this year around suicide prevention in the construction industry.

Sheila who delivered a mental health talk on mental health awareness week for World Leaders JCB took time from her busy schedule to interview people from the construction industry to uncover some of the root causes.

“The more we don’t talk, the more it keeps happening.”

Sheila is pictured with JCB's Managing Director Robert Taylor and HSE & Facilities Manager Steven Mullen.jpg

Sheila also added that “Most people don’t want to talk about suicide, which is totally understandable. The difficulty is that the more we don’t talk about suicide, the more it keeps happening.”

Sheila McMahon is pictured delivering a talk at Uttoxeter-based JCB

Lichfield-based Sheila also says: “It’s no surprise that the topic of suicide can frighten us so much when there has been, and still is, a stigma attached to it. Historically people who took their own lives by suicide were seen to have committed a crime or committed a sin, which is why we have the expression ‘committed suicide’. If we want to change this stigma then instead, we can say that someone ‘died by suicide’. This then removes the judgment”.

She highlights that there are many factors that can lead to a person being suicidal, it’s rarely one thing, but a mixture of lots of things that have built up over time.

Podcast highlights potential factors for high construction statistics

Several discussions in her podcast uncover root causes like high levels of working away from home, friends and family which can create isolation and loneliness. Other factors are addiction to smoking, alcohol and online gambling, leading in some cases to financial issues and debt.

You can hear and see her conversations with construction organisations CECA, HTM, Alpha Construction and The Lighthouse construction industry charity on Sheilas YouTube Channel.

If you are connected to the construction industry and would like to be considered for future podcasts please get in touch.

Sheila, who is a survivor of mental ill health, is also an author. In her book ‘The Power of Knowing You’, which is available on Amazon, she encourages others to educate themselves about suicide prevention to save lives and create positive change.

For more on Sheila McMahon Reg.Couns.MBACP, FTP and her services, which include talks for companies across the Midlands, please visit mindmanagementforyou.com or email her at contact@mindmanagementforyou.com