Death Rather Than Disclosure: Struggling to Be a Real Man

Non-disclosure of distress emerged as a key issue in examining pathways to suicidal action for a group of men. Disclosure of difficulties was viewed as un-masculine, as implying weakness and this was associated with feminine or homosexual type behaviour. Constant performative work, including hyper-performances, was required to project an image of strength and to conceal growing levels of distress. When extreme, this challenged their sense of a coherent self-identity. Performances were directed at family, friends and work colleagues and this inhibited others from identifying and responding to the distress.