Sajid Javid has urged men to speak out about their mental health as he first spoke publicly about the loss of his brother, who took his own life.
The health secretary said he still questions whether he could have acted to prevent his brother’s death and spoke of his “deeply personal” mission to prevent suicides. Javid’s brother, Tariq, 51, took his own life in a hotel near Horsham, West Sussex, in July 2018.
“We later learned that he had a physical health issue that he hadn’t told anyone about,” Javid said. “And if we had known, if he had talked to us, maybe we could have done something,” he added. “Maybe it could have made a difference. And I guess I’ll never know the answer to that.”
Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50, and about three-quarters of suicide deaths each year are men. Javid said that despite increased awareness in some communities, there remained “a stigma around talking about mental health issues”, adding: “And we have to get the message out that it doesn’t matter what culture we come from. All of us at some point in our lives can have a mental health problem and there is nothing wrong with that. The most important thing is to tell someone, talk to others and seek help.”
Losing his brother changed the way Javid interacts with friends and family, he told the Sunday Times. “I make sure to make time for people and ask them how they feel.” Javid said he became concerned during the pandemic when “a close family friend” developed serious mental health issues.
“Even though she didn’t use the word suicidal, I was concerned about the signs she was seeing and absolutely insisted she get mental health support. He was very reluctant at first but eventually he did and he’s in a much better place now and I’m not sure I did it before this tragedy happened to my family.”
Javid, 52, added: “I am blessed with four wonderful children, three who are now young adults, and now I talk to them a lot more about their feelings. Of course there are mental health professionals, but we all have a role in this.
“If there is someone thinking about what they can do to help, the first thing is to talk to their loved ones and friends and ask how they feel. But don’t ask them the question in such a way that they nod their heads; ask them how they really feel and take your time.”
Speaking at the London headquarters of the suicide prevention charity. Papyrus on Friday, Javid said an updated suicide prevention plan was being developed, as well as better services for bereaved families and research to understand the causes of suicide.
“We must treat suicides with the same urgency that we treat any other major killer,” he said. “I am determined to make a difference on this issue, and one of the ways we will do that is by publishing a new 10-year suicide prevention plan. This is deeply personal to me: there are too many families left incomplete and too much potential left unrealized.”
The long-term plan for suicide prevention seeks public input, but so far only 19% of those surveyed have been men, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
In 2018, West Sussex Chief Coroner Penelope Schofield ruled that Tariq Javid had taken his own life. The inquest heard that she had left two letters for her partner, telling him to “go ahead and enjoy life”, before reserving a room at a hotel near Horsham.
